


Bury your Dead or Else They Rot

by hauntedvoice



Series: Styx, Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, & Lethe [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe, Black Org doesn't exist, Child Death, Kidnapping, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 10:31:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 63,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4476014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedvoice/pseuds/hauntedvoice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinichi Kudo is an angel of death, a grim reaper, a death god. Bodies constantly fall around him except near one person: the elusive Kaitou Kid whose existence has become an enigma wrapped inside a paradox.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Answer thy Riddle

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever attempt at writing for either of these series so I’m sorry for any Out of Character moments. I’m also relatively new [3 months…?] to Detective Conan and Magic Kaito, the latter of which I got into first so apologies for any fact errors.

_Bringer of death._

_Bodies drop around you._

_No, please don't invite him he scares me… let's just go._

_Whenever you're around someone dies._

_I don't want to die._

_What are you, a death god?_

_Murder follows you._

Shinichi Kudo slowly cracked his eyes open. The morning sun shined through his window and no sort of blinds was going to stop it. He rolled his head to the side to glance at the alarm clock. It hadn't gone off yet. There was still another hour before it would and that was merely the earliest he desired to get up for the day. With a huff and a grumble towards his blatantly wrong internal clock Shinichi turned away from the window in an attempt to get that last hour of precious sleep.

Five minutes passed in his mind as he begrudgingly counted each ticking noise from the secondhand. Shinichi pushed himself up into a sitting position and quietly groaned. It was too damn early for anything. He covered a yawn and tried to blink the sleep from his eyes enough to see passed the blurry vision. The covers were thrown back followed by two bare feet touching down onto the cold floor. "Another day, another murder." He mumbled to no one as he extracted himself from the warm bliss.

One haphazardly made bed later, Shinichi managed to drag his feet to the kitchen just a little after six in the morning. His hands gravitated towards the coffee maker as per routine. A single slice of bread was lazily placed into the toaster to cook while the sweet caffeine was being made.

The only sound in the empty house was the crunching of lightly burnt toast and the occasional sips of coffee. There was something special about the tranquility the house had to offer. His parents had moved out to expand their careers, leaving the house in their son's care in their absence. Frankly, there wasn't a better place he preferred to be. A café, a library, a park… it really didn't matter. As long as he was around other people, around humans, someone would end up dead. While it would leave him with another case to solve he worried his presence influenced the deaths.

As an only child he played alone at home. It wasn't anything completely out of the ordinary. However, when he finally reached the age to attend school he refused to make any friends. There was one girl who kept trying to talk to him and even now she still persisted in her quest. Having 'friends' wasn't something he wanted... or something that he could have strictly speaking. It was something he couldn't risk. The longer the time spent with an individual the higher the probability of them dying. If his concentration slipped they could die from a simple touch. Even just sitting by someone during class turned out to be an issue. The suffocating aura around him typically drove his classmates home early with sudden cases of the flu or other illnesses. That's how he ended up sitting in the back most corner of every classroom throughout his school years and with the a rumor attached. It was best to keep any casualties as low as possible since skipping school wasn't allowed.

With breakfast consumed Shinichi dragged his bag off it’s resting place and sauntered out the front door. As he reached the gate a small explosion could be heard within Agasa’s house next door. He sighed pulling the gate closed and heading down the street to school. Within two steps he began to ponder how the day would go. If he was lucky no one would drop dead before he reached Teitan High School. A figure entered his peripheral and out of habit he glanced up to see who it was. It was her, Ran Mouri.

She jogged over to him with a bright smile on her face. It seemed today would be another morning where she walked to school with him whether he wanted her to or not. He briefly wondered if she would still approach him with the same joyful expression if she knew what he was; not human but a god of death, a shinigami, a reaper. Whatever people wanted to name his ‘kind’. Shinichi shook the thought from his head. It’s not as though humans couldn’t know a death god was around but it was better they didn’t. They shouldn’t know. Just as they shouldn’t be told how or when they would die. It could bring paranoia and mass hysteria. Maybe even arouse religious mobs, shouting from their texts attempting to banish the demon of death from their lives. “Good morning, Kudo.”

Instead of blatantly ignoring her, as that never worked in the past, he kept his greeting short in hopes she wouldn’t push further. “Morning.” He glanced towards her in recognition before locking his gaze on the path in front of him. She kept her smile despite the clear disinterest he had in continuing any sort of conversation.

They fell in step with each other in silence. Ever so often she’d look over as if contemplating what to say before giving up. The school was insight before she finally managed to find a good enough topic to try to drag the high school detective’s interest. “Hey, Kudo. Did you hear about the recent Kaitou Kid heist notice?” Shinichi blinked and turned his attention toward the girl, interest peaked and waiting for her to continue. “Looks like that’s a no. Given that you work with the police on all sorts of cases I assumed you would have.”

“Homicide and dealing with thieves are two completely different jurisdictions.” From what he knew about Kid’s methods, the heist notices were mailed directly to the police task force. Only a few times were they announced to the public by the thief himself and that was for Jirokichi’s gauntlet challenges. In the past, the notices themselves were kept within police ears. Shinichi was only able to get in on them when they required a detective’s help in deciphering some of Kid’s codes and riddles. After a while of assisting the task force it became almost expected that he would attend and help corner the arrogant thief. As with Kid’s ‘no one gets hurt’ policy it was always a much needed break from the falling bodies that followed in the detective’s wake. What irked Shinichi the most about the conversation was that he wasn’t notified when a notice first arrived. What the hell?

“Right, right. Well, the notice arrived on Monday during midday.” Ran giggled as though laughing at a memory. “After about a day they called my dad begging for his help. Apparently this one’s riddle was sending the police in circles. I managed to catch a glimpse and I didn’t understand it one bit either.” She sighed and peeped at Shinichi, curious if he was even still interested in what she was saying. Just like the mystery-nerd, the look on his face was calculating. When she occasionally asked about his recent cases he was always so silent about it. However when Kaitou Kid was the topic he would visibly brighten, intrigue clear on his features.

Shinichi was about to speak up when they entered the gate to the school, his voice drowned out by the bell for first period. Odds were she probably didn’t have a copy of it. Let alone with her at the moment. “Come on, we’ll be late!” Ran called back towards him as she ran for the building. Shinichi didn’t speed up at all. A minute or two wasn’t going to be the end of the world. Besides, the less time he spent in one place was better for everyone.

As he stepped into the classroom the teacher flipped open their lecture notes and turned toward the board to begin. Shinichi made his way to the back corner as per usual. With his notebook opened to a random blank page and textbook flipped to the section for the day he rested his chin on his palm. Lightly fingering the buttons on his phone from within his uniform’s pocket. First free moment he had was going to be occupied with calling Inspector Nakamori of the ‘Anti-Kid’ Task Force.

 

* * *

 

 It was hard. During the transitions between classes he could hear Sonoko Suzuki rambling to Ran in an ecstatic, lovesick voice about the Kid notice. She was begging Ran to tell her the date and time of the heist to see her handsome thief. When others in the class overheard, not that it was difficult, they rushed over pushing for details. Every time someone implored she’d always reply with the same, “I’m sorry but my dad has had trouble wrapping his head around it” and with a pout “unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a copy to share.”

When class was dismissed for lunch Shinichi bolted out of his chair, bag forgotten against his desk as he rushed to the roof. As he ascended the stairs he speed dialed the number. There was a slight pause after the ringing stopped. “… Hello? Who is this?”

The corners of his mouth slipped into a soft smile. “It’s Kudo. I hear you’ve received a notice from Kid.” There was an audible grumble on the other side of the phone.

“Ah yes, the _homicide_ high school detective.” It was well known Ginzo Nakamori was the Kaitou Kid specialist. If only because of the sheer number of times the inspector dealt with the criminal. Since Shinichi began helping before and during the heists many within the Task Force started referring to him as the Kid Killer, able to foil all of the magician’s plans and retrieve the stolen jewel. It wasn’t a new occurrence for Nakamori to try to remind the detective what his jurisdiction was, even if he wasn’t even officially on the force yet. “I thought you were rather busy with your murder cases recently?”

“There’s been a lull, I’ve got time.” Shinichi waited rather impatiently for the Inspector to speak up after that. The man wasn’t typically one to ask for help, especially outside of his own task force but from what Shinichi overheard from Ran they were completely stumped. The teenager checked his watch, there was still quite a few minutes until lunch ended.

“Alright, fine.” A sound of rustling papers suddenly blocked out all the idle background noise. Shinichi positioned the phone between his ear and shoulder as he took out his notepad and a pen. He clicked the pen open close to the voice receiver to signal he was ready. The detective carefully wrote each word as neatly as possible, breaking the lines when the Inspector seemed to pause for a split second. “Do what you will with it… and give us a call if you think you figured any part out.” With a beep the call ended.

Pocketing the phone and clipping the pen from the back to bookmark the page, Shinichi stared at the newest riddle.

 

On the last cent of the day's dollar,

Branched off from the many crossroads,

Within the boundary of the forest,

The Seven of Pentacles shall finally take,

From the fortuned chests of history.

 

-Kaitou Kid

 

His eyes drifted from word to word, line to line without being able to pick out anything in particular other then ‘Seven of Pentacles’. Merely the wording of that specific line implied that was referring to Kid himself but… From within the school the bell rang to signal the end of the lunch period. With a frustrated sigh Shinichi snapped the moleskin shut and headed back to the classroom, mind buzzing with possible answers to when, where and what Kid was stealing.

Throughout the rest of the day he was turning ideas over and over in his head. Each new theory he had for the riddle’s meaning caused his mind to drift to increasingly obscure possibilities. It had already been two days since the notice was received. It was common for Kid’s chosen date to be within a week afterwards. Two days and still the task force, Ran’s father and now he, himself, hasn’t been able to pinpoint any details. It had only been a few hours since he finally got his hands on the contents but he was already feeling a bit of pressure. There was no way he was going to let Kid complete a heist without a sufficient amount of resistance. Shinichi smirked at the thought, the thief would probably end up disappointed without the challenge.

To the death god’s delightful surprise, no one died on his way home. He managed to elude Ran as he left and enjoyed a quiet walk back to his house. Shinichi barely closed the front door behind him as he carelessly dropped his school bag by the entrance. With determination he strolled into the kitchen, prepared a pot of coffee and proceeded to the study. He left the door open, allowing the smell of the beans to flow to and fill the room as they blended. The first thing he did was rewrite the notice on a big sheet of paper. He pulled a few books off the shelves, flipped through them to possible references and either placed them back immediately or let them pile up around the room.

The sun hovered just above the horizon before a grumbling sound filled the library and interrupted any thought in the teen’s head. He closed the book and let it slide from his hand onto the growing pile. His feet carried him back to the kitchen where he fixed himself a cup in the biggest mug available before returning to the notice. Sustenance in hand and sweet aroma calming his thoughts he glared back toward the riddle. Maybe he was just over thinking this one. He left the obviously wrong answers for the police to fiddle with so he assumed it was much deeper.

He had figured out ‘Seven of Pentacles’ referenced the card of the same name in Tarot, one form of fortune telling. Shinichi wasn’t sure about the whole interpretation of the card as Kid never once kept a gem, let alone do anything to profit from them or his heists. Even the Kid merchandise lines available were created by greedy companies looking to cash in on the public’s entertainment and enthusiasm towards the magician. There had been one line that stuck out with in the various interpretations; patience while waiting for well deserved benefits of labor. Kid’s been doing heists for years, always returning the jewels saying ‘it wasn’t the one I was looking for’. The addition of the word ‘finally’ within the line concluded it… but… if Kid has been searching for one jewel the entire time the notice was already hinting towards being the last one. Previous gems always had to be in his possession before he confirmed whatever it was either way. What was the point of a heist if he already checked it?

The detective always enjoyed Kid’s heists. They were a form of harmless entertainment in addition to a battle of wits. While not forgoing the possibility of this being a final heist, Shinichi chalked it up to just being a possibly unintended hidden message within Kid’s riddle…

The teen worked on the rest of the notice throughout the night. At midnight a clock chimed. He glanced over in acknowledgement of the time and turned back to his work.

“Fortuned chests of history,” he said aloud as if that would give him a new angle. “If I take just ‘history’ then that would mean a museum, landmark, or site of historical importance.” He pulled out a map of the region and stared at it blankly. There were dozens in each category. He looked at the notice again. Chests…. Chests… Throughout history chests were used to store important documents, treasures and jewels which narrowed it down to museums. A few of which had gem displays. Clearly the first half of the riddle was the location so what Kid was stealing had to connect to ‘fortuned’.

Another brew of coffee at 2 in the morning. “One more hour…” Shinichi muttered before taking a big gulp. That promised hour came and went threefold. There weren’t any museums with displays anywhere close to actual forests so it had to be a reference to a more concrete one. One that wasn’t near a busy intersection but instead a bit off on it’s own road. Since all gems were treasures ‘fortune’ had to refer to chance or luck. That easily narrowed it down to the French exhibit of the _Joyau de la Chance_ , or the Gem of Luck.

A few rooms away his alarm clock went off. The death god heaved a heavy sigh as he reluctantly removed himself from the study to get ready for school. If it was Saturday he wouldn’t have to worry about going anywhere other then the station to discuss his theory. One shower and a finished coffee pot later, Shinichi eased his feet into his shoes and picked up the forgotten school bag as he headed out the door.

It was rare. Going almost two days without a murder happening around him. It was nice… or at least it was. As soon as the thought crossed the front of his mind a loud thud sounded behind him. Without even turning around Shinichi pulled out his phone and called Inspector Megure on speed dial.

By the time the culprit was caught and the reports were given it was already halfway through the school day. Shinichi’s job was done within an hour but it was the paperwork that took the most time. As always, he placed the note from the Inspector on the teacher’s desk and proceeded to his seat for the remainder of the lessons. Lunch came and he stayed put, opening his bag and pulling out what was actually yesterday’s. A simple to make sandwich that had become quite soggy overnight. Two bites into it and it was rewrapped and deposited into the bottom of his bag. The shinigami leaned back in his chair, content to take a quick pause before the inevitable chaos with the Kid Task Force.

The bell rung and Shinichi bolted out of the building. The entirety of the travel time from Teitan to the Ekoda police department was filled with a jittery sort of impatience. There was a swiftness in his step as he left the train, heading down the street. Once outside the building, Shinichi wasted no time rushing through the front doors. He waved to some of the officers as he passed with a weak smile. “Inspector, I-” The teenager burst into Kid headquarters, his voice quickly drowned out by the hustling about the team was doing. Officers were frantically flipping through files, loose papers, ripping out possible leads out of books and rapidly clicking through various websites all while listening to the Inspector’s usual loud ranting.

The high school detective stepped aside into the room as someone ran past him with a stack of rejected books in his hands. Shinichi stood off to the side with his arms crossed waiting for even the briefest moment to interject. Everyone in the room scurried around the tables and each other. As time slowly ticked by he began to wonder if Nakamori was actually human for he had yet to take a breath between his raving about catching Kid. Pretty soon enough was enough and the teen cleared his throat rather harshly in order to interrupt the moment’s chaos.

They all slowed, turning in the direction of the pained sound. Shinichi pulled out a few papers from his bag and the officer’s smiles widened. He wasn’t even able to fully retrieve them before the Nakamori swiped them from the teen’s fingers with a slap on his back. “Kudoooo! You certainly come through every time! Much obliged!”

The volume was tolerable across the room but now that it was right beside his ear… “I managed to pinpoint where and what Kaitou Kid plans to steal, the only problem is-” Any further explanation was drowned out when the Inspector returned to his task force, the lot of them huddled around Shinichi’s notes.

“Ooh! That makes so much more sense when you stop thinking about it in the literal sense!” Individual sheets were passed around.

“That museum, huh?”

“I’m impressed, not even Mouri was able to figure out any of these details.”

“Don’t flatter him yet, this is all pointless if he don’t know the time or date it’s occurring.”

“As I was _saying_ ,” before being practically ignored, “’the day’s dollar’ is referring to-“

One of the officer’s yelled in exclamation. “I GET IT! It must mean when the common worker gets paid!”

Another slapped the back of the first’s head. “Idiot, people don’t get paid on the same day. It’s when they get off work.”

“Seriously? There isn’t just one type of shift people work. It’s all over the day and night. That leaves-”

“Friday at 11.59pm.” The room gaped at him, awaiting an explanation yet seemingly ready to disagree. “The day’s dollar, taking a look at the kanji for writing the weekdays only Friday has ‘money’ within it. If you take ‘cent’ to mean minute or moment then the ‘last’ would be the minute before midnight.” Shinichi took a breath, praying no one spoke in his pause. At least the Anti-Kid task force was always energetic and up for the challenge. “The problem is, since deciphering Kid’s notice took so long we only have a little over a day to prepare.”

“Leave the heavy lifting to us. Just make sure your Kid-killer instincts are ready.” The officer gave a confident smile and while Shinichi figured once Kid showed up he’d end up carrying the team as usual, their determination was appreciated. Alas, as always they’d probably get swept away in the thief’s antics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I am incapable of writing a short little thing without preventing the plot from boarding a plane, flying across the world and booking a room at some resort while it waits for me to catch up… I hope you like it and stick around for the long haul.
> 
> Rating may change later.


	2. Taunts of Evil

True to their word, the task force was fully prepared for the night. There were several helicopters above patrolling the skies, groups of guards by every entrance and window as well as dozens in the actual display room. Joyau de la Chance was displayed on a white cushion within a surprisingly thin glass case. Covering the walls were various mirrors said to have been placed there several days ago by one of the workers. When the task force asked what their purpose was they were told, ‘the owner wanted his jewel to shine even when little light approached it’.

There were no huge windows on the ceiling, only miniature slits that gave the room a cool scene of lighting one would expect from a calm before a late night storm. Yet when one of the officers curiously probed one of the mirrors the full moon’s light reflected upon it and shined through the gem perfectly. The room was quiet, enough so he thought he heard a heartbeat of bewildered excitement. For a split second the jewel, said to shine a beautiful rainbow of colors in the sunlight despite it’s clear white nature, shown a red hue. Nothing in the piece’s research nor warnings said anything about that. Perhaps it was a feature to be announced when the exhibit officially opened to the public. As it was, much of the rest of the showing was still under construction.

Shinichi glanced at his watch, checking the time. There were still a few minutes before the official start if he had deduced correctly. Blue eyes scanned the area, noting how each officer moved and reacted to the Inspector’s usual motivational speech. It had happened so many times before, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Kid was already disguised and in their midst as the seconds ticked by.

As Inspector Nakamori called out his final line one officer caught the detective’s eye. The movement was so small it was no wonder it went unnoticed. The man’s fingers were flexing ever so slightly. As a player on a court would warm up and stay loose before a match. Upon closer inspection he also seemed restless, a desire to start moving showing through the eagerness in his eyes.

The detective stepped forward, intent on approaching what had to be Kid when said officer ducked his head down. A switch was flipped in the distance and the rest of the ceiling lights turned on, their position sending the beams of light direct into the mirrors. The rays bounced off those surfaces perpendicular to their starting point, illuminating the room in a harsh white. A soft sound of a rushing wind tunnel echoed against the walls. Shinichi watched as everyone who had shielded their eyes breathed in what he assumed was knock out gas.

The power was abruptly cut, leaving those who were still conscious to have to wait for their eyes to adjust before successfully doing a thing. Nakamori’s persistence could still be heard as his body collapsed onto the ground. “What, no playful quips this time, Kaitou Kid?” Shinichi called out, frustrated his eyes were only able to make our mere colored blobs so far.

A white figure was kneeling in front of the display case. It would be mere moments before he heard the lock click open. It was not only a bit disappointing but it felt bizarre. That arrogant thief usually at least acknowledged his presence. But not even a single noise or grunt. Was he really concentrating that much?

The magician’s lock picks clinked together as the suction of the display case released. “Finally…”

Shinichi lunged at the voice, the swatches of color in his vision sharpening to clear forms. “You’re not going anywhere with that jewel, Kid!” Much to the detective’s dissatisfaction, said thief easily maneuvered out of his grasp and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The detective made a frustrated growl. A quick scan on the room told him that, once again, he was on his own for the heist. He didn’t have time to waste waking someone up. Instead he bolted out, heading for the stairs to the one place Kid was likely to go. What had almost become their routine final battle ground during heists; the roof.

When Shinichi burst through that last door his eyes locked onto the white figure. Although he couldn’t see Kid’s face, he could barely make out the corner of a triumphant smirk as the thief inspected his prize again as if double checking if he was right. Joyau de la Chance shined an even brighter stream of eerie red within the direct moonlight and any tension within the magician’s posture left. With gem in hand the thief closed his fingers around it before spreading his now suddenly empty palm, just as one would to stun an audience. But objects don’t just disappear like that. On Jirokichi’s airship Inspector Nakamori complained about it when it was done with Lady Sky. Shinichi had seen that slight of hand trick before many times himself. He wasn’t going to be fooled by something like that.

As he opened his mouth Kid turned, an amused look on his face. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t my Great High School Detective. The last one to see me off as always.” Kid flashed a grin and took on a rather peculiar pose. The thief wrapped his arms around himself and ducked his head in what Shinichi assumed was mock embarrassment. “I’m so grateful for your dedication towards me, but alas,” a hand traveled up to the brim of his white top hat. “I’m afraid I’m short on time tonight.”

“Hand Joyau over.” Kid wasn’t taking his time playing around with the task force. He wasn’t teasing Shinichi in the usual way nor for as long as the magician could manage. Kid was trying to wrap up the heist as quick as possible, wasting no time and taking no chances. Shinichi widened his footing, readying himself for whatever came next.

"So demanding. I might be more willing if I got a kiss in exchange." The thief gently touched a finger to his own lips. "Right here?" Shinichi immediately flushed and Kid laughed. “Sorry, but I can’t return this one…” Kid patted his breast pocket revealing where the stone was located on his person. “…Shinichi Kudo.” The thief’s teasing and use of his full name made him off-kilter. That second of hesitation was all the magician needed. Kid extracted his signature card gun from his jacket and fired. Shinichi dove forward and rolled, transforming his momentum into a powerful sweeping kick. True to the phantom thief’s reflexes, and frankly all the years he had to practice first hand, Kid quickly crouched before jumping into a back flip. Two gloved hands caught the roof’s protective railing and Kid landed gracefully on the top. As Shinichi returned Kid bowed, one hand lifting the edge of his cape, “Ta~ta~ my _lovely_ detective.” A wink, a kiss blown his way and a cloud of smoke all disoriented the detective’s mind. Shinichi ran to the edge in time to see Kaitou Kid engage his hang glider and fly through the nearby skyscrapers.

With the distance Kid had already created, plus the time it would take for Shinichi to just get to the ground floor it would be pointless to continue a pursuit. That hang glider would have disappeared from sight long before then. Even the helicopters would have trouble following the thief safely between the sharp turns and corners. With a frustrated sigh the death god pivoted to the rooftop door and stopped. A single red rose lay awaiting on the ground beside a card sticking out of the ground, an ace of hearts. Shinichi silently picked them up, deeming the reason as ‘it’s evidence’ and tucked them into his jacket with a slight blush before he descended the stairs to rejoin the task force. Kid had just left and he could already feel his aura slowly creeping back.

By the time Shinichi arrived at the appropriate floor the Inspector was checking on his subordinates. The teen entered the room and they all gazed at him a little too expectantly for his tastes. A mere shake of his head told all that needed to be said. Fists raised in the air, Inspector Nakamori declared his typical threat “we’ll get you next time, Kaitou Kid! Just you wait!”

While the task force went back to their after-heist check in, Shinichi removed himself to the edge of the room. Every time a heist ended he became dizzy as the feeling of the strings of people’s lives began to get cut again. He felt them severed everyday for so long. It was nonstop. But what was he supposed to expect? For people to stop dying altogether or for him to no longer be their reaper? Both were nonsense. However on his first heist he had faintly noted the pings in his mind disappeared. Until Kaitou Kid escaped his mind was in a lulled silence. People around the world were still dying but there was peace within him as he didn’t feel all their souls leave the mortal plane. Going from a tranquil hush, no matter how short it ended up being, to a once again constant pandemonium was nauseating. Although small, it lowered his concentration which gave him a need to even just slightly isolate himself from others to prevent any accidents.

“Hey, don’t sweat it Kudo. We’ll get him next time.” Nakamori slapped his hand onto Shinichi’s shoulder causing the younger one to flinch away. “Woah, sorry. Didn’t mean to surprise you there. You just looked troubled.”

“Thank you, I’m fine.” He mustered, taking a subtle step out of the officer’s reach. Shinichi cleared his throat with an obvious glance around the room as a diversion from his move. “I thought Hakuba was going to attend tonight.”

The Inspector rubbed the back of his head. “Ahh, yes he was. A few hours before Kid showed his face Hakuba called. He said his plane from London was delayed by a severe thunderstorm… mentioned he’d rush over as soon as he landed.” The teenager made a sound of acknowledgement. He had no issues with the fellow detective though he also didn’t know the guy too well either.

“Do you mind if I give my report now? It’s getting rather late…” It wasn’t the real reason he wanted to leave already but no one needed to know that. Shinichi was grateful that Inspector Nakamori quickly took his report down and sent him off. Someone coughed behind him rather harshly and he picked up his pace out of the museum. He had no desire to contemplate what would have happened if he stayed any longer.

 

* * *

 

No one was on the streets as Shinichi wandered home. What had been mere nausea morphed into a full blown headache as he made his way along the sidewalk. The only reassuring aspect was the emptiness of the route he took.

Without warning, one of the souls close to his heart gave way. The thread of their life had been cut. It was someone he knew. Normally they were anonymous but rare occasions did happen where a sense of familiarity washed over him. A name would come to mind in that scenario though it wasn’t a guaranteed occurrence. This time there wasn’t one. He had no idea if the deceased was from the police force, school or somewhere else.

Whoever it was pulled furiously at that thread, clinging to it desperately before the feeling went dark. It was enough to make the death god clutch the front of his shirt and lean against a nearby wall. He took several deep breaths before dropping his arm to lean his back against the building. A drop of sweat ran down his chin as he closed his eyes to reap the soul. It was an act he liked to do for those he knew. It gave him confirmation in more ways then one and a sense of closure.

Seconds passed and he had yet to locate the soul. In the previous cases all he needed to do was grab the other end of the life line and follow it to the owner. It was missing. The existence had clearly ended but not only had the soul yet to leave its body Shinichi was unable to reap it from the land of the living. It was just… gone.

Unable to do anything productive about the situation, as calling everyone he knew to figure out who died so late at night wouldn’t be wise, Shinichi hurried home, a hollow pit in his stomach.


	3. Isolation

During the entirety of the next day Shinichi worked through the various murder files sent to him. A few he had picked up previously in the week while most were faxed to him as he preferred to work from home. Mainly to ensure he didn’t cause the death of someone on the force and it was free from possible civilian casualties.

By midday he had a stack of solved cases on the desk with few left remaining. He took the moment to pause for a break. A quick stretch, cup of coffee and a miniature meal that could actually pass as a lunch. Shinichi munched slowly with the occasional sip to wash it all down. His eyes flicked up to the rose he put in the vase last night in place of the previous wilting one along with the card he leaned against it. The feeling in his stomach had long gone but the memory of it remained. It irked him that he couldn’t either pinpoint who it was nor figure out what the hell happened. A soul had never been out of his reach before. With the sound of his fax machine Shinichi finished off his food and brought the rest of his beverage with him to continue work.

Sunlight bathed the rooms in a fading warm orange as the sun began to set. All case files had been long moved into the ‘finished’ pile. The teenage detective abandoned the study for the backyard, kicking a soccer ball into the air as his mind buzzed. Next door a high pitched explosion resounded against the walls of the Professor’s house. Hiroshi Agasa frantically opened a window, releasing a strange green smoke from the residence. After Agasa finished his coughing fit, Shinichi smiled and waved. One possible victim taken off the list.

It’s not that he didn’t want to check in on everyone. He was itching to find out but due to the abnormality of it all he wanted to be cautious. Suddenly calling dozens of acquaintances and coworkers out of the blue would be worthy of some sort of suspicion. If it were Sonoko, Ran or a family member of either one of them they would have given him a ring. It was the same deal with his parents as well…. Unless they merely hadn’t found the body yet. Besides, how would he even get to asking that kind of question? ‘ _Yeah so, did anyone die say… yesterday around 1am? No? Okay, have a good one sorry for disturbing you’_ because that’d go over well.

 

* * *

As soon as the station opened Shinichi was at the doors, a huge stack of solved cases balanced in his arms. He fumbled with the door a bit awkwardly but managed to step inside without dropping a single folder. Once inside he went on full alert. He took the long route to Inspector Megure’s office to see if he could spot anyone in mourning or just plain missing. The death happened less then 48 hours ago, if it was someone’s family member they likely wouldn’t be back to work for a few weeks.

Knocking on the door to Megure’s office the death god drowned out his disappointment in a look of indifference and boredom. “Inspector, I’ve come to pass these back over...” When he entered the office Megure was standing behind his desk staring out the window with a phone in hand.

The teen quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to place the files on a side table. The Inspector turned at the sound and nodded in acknowledgement before continuing his conversation. “Yes, we’re doing everything we can… No we haven’t but… Honestly Nakamori, I don’t know what you expect there was hardly any evidence.” Shinichi had just curled his fingers around the doorknob when his ears perked up at the name. The only reasons Nakamori would be calling Megure was due to a case, otherwise they hardly intersected. Either it was a personal matter or it was Kid. But if it was the latter then the reason for having to hand the case to Division One was jurisdiction.

Shinichi whirled around, rushing towards the desk and throwing his hands down on it. “Inspector Megure! Are you investigating the possible death of Kaitou Kid?” It would explain why no name came about despite his search for one. ‘Kid’ was just an alias.

Megure half addressed the teenaged detective. For a silent moment they just stared at each other, Megure with a hint of guilt in his eyes while the younger had a fire of determination. “Listen, Kudo-“

So he was right. “How’d he die? Where? Who was the one who found him? May I inspect the body?” It was a decent assumption for anyone that it occurred after the heist so he didn’t bother pretending to ask ‘when’.

Before he spoke he made sure to lower the phone, “I’m sorry Kudo. You’re too close to this one.” The teen scowled. It’s not like he was the only one ‘too close’ to Kid related things. Inspector Nakamori had his career focused on catching the phantom thief for years. The man even got depressed when too much time had passed between heists. If anyone should be kept in the dark one would think it’d be him. Shinichi could only imagine Hakuba’s reaction to the situation with the fellow teen’s obsession on being the one to catch Kid.

“Inspector, reconsider.” The detective almost commanded. “The responders could have easily overlooked something so late at night. Given that it was Kid, someone they knew, it could compromis-”

“There were plenty of officers to check the surrounding area. Numerous photographs were taken of the crime scene, witnesses documented, statements were taken and theories have been made. We can handle this one without you. Stop pressing.”

Shinichi clenched his fists in frustration. How many cases had he solved for them? Yet they still weren’t letting him in on one so important. The death of the so called Magician Under the Moonlight who said himself immortal. The one who had so righteously upheld his no one gets hurt policy. “At least-”

Inspector Megure faced the teen head on. “That’s enough, Shinichi Kudo.” The detective flinched, taken aback by the abrasive words. “You aren’t to dip your fingers into this one. You will be kept in the dark, if you try to weasel any information out I’ll know.” The man sighed, losing all previous anger. “I appreciate all the help you’ve given us in the past but it’s for your own good. Now go home and get some rest.” Shinichi grit his teeth, shoulders tensed and hands shaking from anger. No, no. He took a deep staggered breath and avoided the Inspector’s eyes as he stormed out of the room. Before slamming the door he heard Megure call out to him one more time. “Try not to dwell on it, Kudo. We’ll get them.”

Stalking out of the station, Shinichi headed for the Ekoda district department. Perhaps they’d be willing to pass some info on. The Kid task force’s Inspector was also just denied what little clues District One acquired likely to the same reasons. They had to be shaken up about it let alone dispirited for not being the one to catch the criminal while he was still alive at least.

Along the way the hairs on the back of the death god’s neck stood. Several paces after each corner Shinichi would slip in a subtle glance behind him to check if anyone was following him. There was never anyone suspicious along either sidewalks but he still couldn’t shake the feeling. In his mind he pictured a pair of eyes staring intently at the back of his head all the way until the police headquarters.

As soon as his foot crossed the threshold a dense atmosphere began to suffocate him. Not a single smile was worn on anyone’s face. Many who were present merely sat staring at their computer screens or piles of paperwork around them. Saguru Hakuba laid stretch out on the coach facing the entry way in the middle of the room. While it had been a day and a half the other teen looked like he had yet to come out of a state of shock as he fiddled idly with his pocket watch. The one who was worse for wear was the Inspector. The man merely sat behind his desk, head resting on his hand as he slumped in the chair. A look of grief written on his features. He seemed listless. With no need to go chasing after the phantom thief there wasn’t any more work demanding his immediate attention and there wasn’t any point in worrying about the criminal since that chapter had ended.

“Inspector? Hakuba?” Shinichi called out softly as if testing the waters. Nakamori didn’t move an inch but Hakuba met his gaze. “What exactly happened to Kid?” The name appeared to catch Nakamori’s ears more then anything so far but he simply moved his hand over his face. Hakuba stared into the distance, likely recalling the events of the night prior to last before a look of horror passed over his eyes and he turned his attention back to the watch. “… what happened after I left?”

Everyone in the room flinched. Of course they’d be nervous. Inspector Megure had just yelled at Shinichi to keep his nose out while still connected to this office. The man no doubt told the task force how to handle the teen again after he stormed out. Shinichi frantically glimpsed around, hoping someone would give an inch. Blue eyes fell upon the blond, “Kudo... After Kid escaped the museum he-”

“Hakuba.” An officer interrupted, giving the boy a saddened shake of his head.

“Why does he get to be in on the case and know the details?” Shinichi could feel his nails digging into his palms, sickening aura melting into the air around him.

Nakamori lifted his head with a scowl. “He’s not apart of the case. None of us are. The only reason he knows whatever he does is because he was at the scene when it happened.” The Inspector let his hands fall to his lap and leaned back, eyes focused on the ceiling. “Hakuba’s a crucial witness to the m… murder of Kaitou Kid. He, as well as everyone here, have been isolated from and forbidden to discuss the case at any length. All jurisdiction for Kid has been passed onto Division One.” Shinichi opened his mouth to protest but stopped when the man raised his hand. “For the most part, the general public isn’t aware of what happened. We’re trying to keep this under wraps.” Inspector Nakamori pushed off his desk and crossed the space between him and Shinichi. “Trust me when I say, for all of us, that we appreciate your determination but…” He placed a hand gently on the boy’s shoulder. “Get some rest. Focus on your studies, I hear finals are approaching for you lot.”

Shinichi stared into the Inspector’s eyes. He looked so tired, mentally and physically. As if he was waiting for the work day to end to retire to the privacy of his home to loosen the emotional knot in his heart. The detective was infuriated to say the least. Angry neither division would budge. Annoyed he was told to _ignore_ a case for once. Stunned Hakuba was so silent about the criminal he was so passionate about ‘being the one to catch him’. They couldn’t honestly expect him to stay clear of the case though, right? Especially after seeing the near traumatized look on Saguru. The only option left was to piece it together on his own… without a single scrap of evidence.

It took him awhile before he managed to conceal the tone of irritation in his voice. “Fine.” He gave everyone a sympathetic once over before taking his leave. Hands in his pants pocket he brewed through the halls. Morgues weren’t under live human surveillance 24/7. Security cameras could always be hacked and edited to hide his break in. All he needed was a few minutes. Just enough to find some evidence to begin with.

Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him back before turning into the station’s entryway. Once he regained his footing, Shinichi peered at the blond detective. “I know what you’re planning.” Hakuba sighed. “I’m afraid it won’t work.”

Shinichi extracted his wrist from the hold and folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at the other. “Are you implying they’ll guard the body? Because he’s ‘famous’ in the public’s eyes? Hate to break it to you but bodies have been stolen from morgues before. A quick visual examination isn’t going to be noticed.”

“Kudo. You can’t steal a body that isn’t there.” The intent to steal Kid’s body didn’t exist between either of them but the point was made. “If you go to the morgue you’ll simply be wasting your time.”

“If not the morgue, then where are they keeping it?”

Hakuba frowned, checking his pocket watch before regarding Shinichi with resolve. “Only 27.63 seconds left before he rounds the corner… The police never recovered the body, Kudo. Kid had a some sort of dead man’s trigger on a smoke bomb. It went off a minute and nine seconds after we approached. I heard a gasp within the cloud, it was probably Kid’s accomplice when he arrived at the sight. When the fog cleared he was gone but the blood…” Hakuba cleared his throat, skipping over the gruesome details for now. “I’m betting it was the guy’s ‘last trick’. To disappear before his audience witnessed such a sight. A criminal who dares call himself a ‘gentleman thief’ wouldn’t want to leave their fans with any bad memories. If you think about it that way, it also helps keep the magician a mystery, concealing his identity even after death…”

The teen fell into a tense silence. Since the first time Shinichi met the guy, Saguru went on and on about a classmate of his. The blond detective never explicitly mentioned a name but the fellow student was always number one on the suspicion list. To the point where he bragged about needing just one sliver of evidence to prove his case.

“Hakuba what did you see-” From around a corner an officer entered the hallway, eyeing the two as he approached.

With a pat to the back, Hakuba spoke in a much louder voice then his previous whisper volume. “Apologies, Kudo. But I can’t give you any info on this.” The other teen subtly motioned Shinichi toward the exit. He smiled, “Good luck with finals.” If Shinichi lingered he had no doubt someone would approach him with questions why. They exchanged waves and parted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this one, the next couple of updates will get a liiiiittle bit longer.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading so far! I appreciate all the kudos and comments :)


	4. The Exception to the Human Memory

Classes over the next several days dragged on getting increasingly harder to sit through throughout the week. Even by Wednesday the news of Kaitou Kid’s death had yet to hit any media outlet. He had to admit; the police were doing a pretty decent job keeping the whole thing under lock and key.

Shinichi had met up with Inspector Megure twice since Sunday, both times murders he happened across. Neither occurrence dwelled into anything but the case at hand. During the teen’s final deductions Megure would listen intently as always. However afterwards the man would shift nervously, questions on the tip of his tongue that never saw the light of day. Ran hadn’t mentioned a thing about the phantom thief’s case which meant if they consulted a detective it wasn’t Kogoro. Given the number of looks he received from the Inspector they hadn’t outsourced at all. On the second murder case, from the guilt written on Megure’s face after the culprit was taken away said it all. They hadn’t gotten any closer. Shinichi doubted they even had a single lead to work on.

School bag still over his shoulder the young detective exited the café sipping on an iced coffee. Over the past couple days the feeling of being watched and followed were constant. Even in class he could still sense eyes on him. Irritating only scratched the surface of the actions the stalker was doing. The only good side was whoever it was hadn’t done anything yet. Not as though that makes the lack of privacy and constant paranoia any less disconcerting. One naturally gained enemies in his chosen line of work.

Just as he had done with every turn on the street, Shinichi glanced behind him in search of his careful shadow. Rounding the corner the detective heard a surprised shriek as he walked straight into someone. Shinichi stumbled back, landing on his butt. His eyes followed his coffee in horror as it began falling to the ground until a delicate lacy gloved hand caught it seconds before its premature demise.

The girl he collided with was bent over very awkwardly in order to successfully save the beverage. She had on an open white lace half vest and a layered blue-gray dress underneath with a neatly tied ribbon accentuating her waist. The dress had a fairly low oval neckline and with her leaning over as she was it was easy to see the tops of her bra… He could feel heat rising to his cheeks and he quickly averted his eyes elsewhere. “Pheww~ That was a close one.” The girl stood upright, brushing a lock of her ginger chest length hair behind her ear. She had a four leaf clover pin securing most of her bangs to the side. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you. Are you alright?” She asked extending a hand, her sweet voice intertwined with concern.

Shinichi accepted the girl’s help onto his feet. She had a surprisingly firm grip and strong pull for her thin frame. “Thanks… and sorry, honestly I wasn’t looking where I was going as well.” She gently took his hand and returned the cup of coffee.

“No worries.” Her hand lingered a second longer then either expected. When the girl realized it she stepped back, holding both behind her back and gazing at the ground in embarrassment. Her gaze flickered back up and that’s when he saw the recognition in her eyes. “Oh! You’re that famous high school detective, Shinichi Kudo, right?”

Her indigo eyes beamed at him and he could only wonder what was going on through her head at the time. “That would be me…” He would have answered more confidently but something was feeling increasingly off.

“I knew it! This is perfect.” She clapped her hands together with a cheery smile. “There’s actually something I’ve wanted to talk to you about ever since I saw your name in the newspaper several months ago.” The girl took Shinichi’s hand in hers again causing him to flinch back. “Please, hear me out! I’ll treat you somewhere? Win-win, right?”

The look in her eyes were so hopeful. Maybe even borderline desperate. But this whole situation felt strange. He didn’t just walk into potential future cases, they fell in the forms of various bodies around him. Shinichi wrenched his hand free. An action that was surprisingly difficult. “And who are you exactly?”

“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry! Where are my manners today…?” The girl half curtsied. “My name is Kairen Mitsuru.” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. “I’d love it if you um… called me Kai.” She all but whispered, avoiding the detective’s eyes.

Shinichi sighed. She seemed to have some sense of urgency in her request but nothing that really jumped out. It couldn’t be for a murder case or else she would have or should have already contacted the police. There was enough there to interest him in hearing her out, on the other hand… The death god stepped passed her. “Have you contacted the police on…whatever this matter is? Perhaps another detective already? Such as Heiji Hattori or Saguru Hakuba?” If he was to take her up on the offer it’d be good to know who else was involved, no matter how small the influence.

“Not that bastard…” The voice was so quiet he nearly missed it. “He’s… None of them are you.” She gently grabbed the end of his uniform, ducking her head as she whipped away a tear. “… please…”

Another sigh slipped past his lips ending in a low groan. “Alright, alright.” Kairen’s sullen face flipped to sheer delight like the two were options on a switch. She bounced up and down with an absurd amount of joy. “Did you h-have a place in mind then?” Soon as the question left his mouth he found himself being dragged down the street.

Passerbys smiled at them, watching as the assumed couple rushed along the sidewalk. A few elders regarded them warmly dropping quiet comments about ‘kids these days’ and ‘ah young love’. The attention they garnered only made him frown.

The crowd thinned down until only a handful of people were left on either side of the roads when Mitsuru stopped. “A little hole in the wall, they’re not one of those huge chains so everything’s fresh daily.” The double story café was squished between two other businesses with no space in between buildings. Underneath the right window sat a box shaped sign with the café’s name, beside it a potted house plant. Still holding his wrist she smiled and pulled him up the two small steps into the little shop. Freshly roasted coffee beans filled the air. To the left immediately upon entry was a hallway that led both behind the counter that spanned most of the shop fitted with a spread out wooden seating and a ‘staff only’ door. To the right, along side the window were round tables with red stools while along the adjacent wall were square tables and armless green chairs. The atmosphere, aided by the natural and fluorescent lighting, was calm and soothing to the nerves.

Shinichi smiled and stepped further into the coffee shop. Kairen busied herself with inspecting the sweets they had on display. On the opposite end of the counter a suited man who appeared to be in his mid twenties was being served a cup by a red faced boy with an eye patch. Shinichi watched as the worker poured the boiling water in steady circles, steam rising from the cup as it was pushed to the customer. Blue eyes looked towards the bags of raw coffee beans lining the shelves behind the employee. Professionally made, how could he pass that up?

“Excuse me,” Mitsuru called one of the free baristas over. The girl walked over smiling shyly. Kairen pointed to a few desserts to place her order. “Did you want anything, Shinichi? I did say I would treat.” Well she was certainly comfortable with him already. He wasn’t sure how he felt about a girl he just met calling him by his first name while everyone else usually stuck to his last. He stepped next to her and requested a cup of their daily special as he carefully tucked his ice coffee into his bag. The girl jotted down the items on a notepad and Mitsuru left for a table. Shinichi followed her without any qualms. The shop was small enough to let their customers seat themselves so they took one in the back in hopes of getting a bit more privacy.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” The detective placed his bag alongside his chair and fished his notebook and pen from his uniform’s inner pocket. “A kidnapping? Blackmail? Murder?”

“Not quite.” Mitsuru giggled. “Must everything be bad news for you?” She leaned forward placing her elbows on the table, cheek resting on her intertwined fingers.

“When you’ve been around as much death and seen as much betrayal as I have, you’d have a bit of a negative outlook too.” The detective allowed himself to relax a little. No one’s life sounded like it was on the line so he didn’t have to rush this to get the important details. “Regardless, we should make this quick. I’m in the paper a lot for a reason.”

“Take a load off Mr. Death-follows-me. Besides, no one’s died since I walked into you several blocks from here.” Mitsuru gracelessly dropped an arm onto the table, leaning fully on the other. Her tone shifted to accusatory while her expression turned bored. “Honestly, I figured after everything we’ve been through together you owed me at least one little favor, my _lovely_ detective.” The girl in front of him flashed a rather out of character grin.

Shinichi’s lips were stuck in the beginnings of a question before his eyes went wide. “Kaitou K-” Mitsuru… or Kid lunged over the table and covered Shinichi’s mouth before he could finish. Even though he knew the person in front of him was a male, being able to see down the magician’s disguise made him blush. Lord knows what the crazy perfectionist used to make those breasts look so real. Kid lifted a finger to his lips in a silent _shhhhhh._

Shinichi’s eyes flicked to the approaching barista and Kid backed off, using one sweeping motion to brush all the loose strands of his hair back behind his shoulders. “Your orders are ready.” The waitress placed the coffee and desserts in front of each of them accordingly. “Please enjoy.” She bowed slightly and left them to their conversation.

Kid, as if ignoring the previous 60 seconds, licked her… his… lips and eagerly picked up a fork. “Thank you for the food~” He whispered. Shinichi stared at him as he contemplated which one to start with, chocolate cake or chocolate tiramisu. The thief dragged the former closer and dug his fork into the corner of the small pastry. He all but purred in satisfaction, a blissful expression on his face as he went back for another bite. Shinichi watched as his companion devoured the cake savoring every forkful. Kid pushed the cleared plate into the middle of the table. He licked his lips clean of any misplaced chocolate while pulling the second dessert in front of him.

The apparent sweet tooth hummed some tune as the fork tore through the side of the tiramisu. The death god had yet to take a single sip of his coffee. This situation wasn’t right. The death he felt late Friday night had to of been the arrogant thief in white. There wasn’t even the slightest clue pointing to anyone else. Hakuba said he saw the body fall. Sure, ‘master of disguise’ but if there was blood it couldn’t have been a dumpy and Kid hurting someone was incredibly out of the question. “I don’t understand.” Kid looked up, fork sticking out of his mouth, making an inquiring sound. “How are you…?” Shinichi pursed his lips, folding his arms. “This must be quite the elaborate prank then.” But if it was all just some ruse to take up his time and annoy him what was the point of Kid revealing himself? If it really was Kid… but the thief was supposed to be dead. Then again, pulling wool over his eyes for so long was something only the real Kaitou Kid had ever been able to accomplish. What the hell kind of punch line could be at the end to this whole thing?

“Whaat~?” The playful girlish tone he used for Kairen Mitsuru never left. It made Shinichi question everything that came out of that sly mouth. “I’m not allowed to see you outside of a heist?” The detective flinched, a light blush crawling onto his cheeks as the rose he still kept came to mind. Sure, he mentioned that he had no desire to catch Kid outside of a heist but the thief had to know what a gamble that was. Especially since he still had yet to return the last stolen jewel.

How Kid was acting suggested against him even knowing. Did the thief know there was a case being investigated about the guy’s own death? Shinichi finally picked up his cup and drank a slow gulp. Closing his eyes the death god searched the immediate surrounding area. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everyone’s soul that needed to be was present and accounted for, even Kaitou Kid’s. What the fuck was going on? Shinichi leered at his coffee. Should he tell Kid? It would be a risk. Humans weren’t supposed to know any sliver of information on how or when they were to die. Would this instance be an exception? Unless there was a specific reason he didn’t know. Besides how would he explain knowing anyway?

“I wouldn’t say that. Believe it or not, I was completely serious earlier.” Shinchi flicked his eyes up at that comment. The crumb covered fork clinked against the dishware as the magician placed it down and stacked the two plates. “I mean, there _is_ something I want to talk to you about.” Kid slouched onto the table, resting his head on his upper arm. His face was oddly distant yet had a veil of seriousness. “I kind of need your help.”

“How is everything? Are you done with these, ma’am?” Slipping easily into Kairen, Kid gave a nod and smiled at the waitress as she picked the plates up onto a tray. “Can I get you anything else?” She addressed the other at the table. “A refill perhaps?”

Shinichi shook his head while ‘Mitsuru’ piped up. “Do you by chance carry hot chocolate?” The barista appeared to think for a moment before nodding slowly. Must not have been a popular item on the menu. Which wasn’t surprising since it was mainly a coffee shop. “Then one hot coco please.” The girl jotted down the order and returned to the front.

As soon as she was out of earshot Shinichi continued with the question burning in his mind. “What do you need my help for?” He lowered the cup onto the saucer, observing the magician’s every move.

Kaitou Kid stared straight into the death god’s eyes, not once looking away until his drink arrived. He accepted it gratefully, muttering a low “thank you very much”. Anticipation was eating the detective alive. It was such a rare occurrence for Kid to ask him for help, chiefly in such a manner. The magician lowered his mug into his lap, rubbing his thumb over the side as he longingly gazed at the other customers in the shop. “I don’t remember my civilian identity.”

Shinichi regarded Kid with utter confusion. “What do you mean… exactly?” The detective sat up, leaning closer to the table.

“I don’t remember being anyone else other than…” Kid subtly gestured to himself. “I don’t know what my actual name is, who my friends or family are, what school I attended if I even did... my birthday… ” He took a long gulp of his hot chocolate with his poker face smile. “Hell, I don’t know what or where my home address is.”

As Kid finished his mug the situation sunk in. It sounded like a clear cut case of severe amnesia. The main question about it was whether it was temporary or permanent. “If you don’t remember anything about your civilian self, then why me? I never cared about finding out who you really were.”

“That’s the thing.” Empty mug forgotten to the side, Kid rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “The only bits I do remember are moments as Kid… with you.” The magician conjured a deck of cards out of nowhere and began shuffling. “Heists that you attended, I remember perfectly. All others, they’re at best a blur. Even ones you did take part in, the only face and voice I see and hear in my mind clearly are yours. Everyone else… it’s like I’ve got earplugs and thick slates of glass in front of my eyes when I look at them.”

“What about Saguru Hakuba? You grimaced at me when I brought up his name earlier.”

Kid shrugged a smirk on his lips. “The mere name invokes annoyance within my very being.” A skilled hand flipped various cards out of the middle of the deck. The cards spun around his fingers before being placed gently on the table. “I figured you’d be more willing to hear me out if I was just a random person asking for help rather then walking up and revealing myself right then and there. Plus where’s the fun in that?” He paused the four suit solitaire placement, a finger lingering on the Joker. “So. How would you care to explain this situation of mine, Mr. Modern-Day Sherlock Holmes?”

Shinichi held back his glare. There was no way for Kid to know _what_ he was. The only ones who knew were his parents. Apart from bearing witness to the sheer amount of dead bodies lying in the boy’s footsteps there was no evidence to even suggest it. All conversations about the myths weren’t in the Kudo household nor were they brought up often. After Division One truly realized how many murders the boy came across they halted all jokes on the subject. One week old body could give people nightmares from the smell alone. Intercepting them being basically a daily ritual for the high school student… the officers had said they couldn’t even imagine dealing with it. Or they merely commented on Shinichi’s extremely bad luck with an awkward pat on the back.

Hold on, hold on. What was he getting so worked up about? Not even a drop of conclusive evidence existed. One would have to believe in the impossible to come to the conclusion on their own. A death god living and walking among humans. It sounded absurd. Although… given his nature it would explain why he’s clear in the thief’s memories. Shinichi had no doubt Kid was the one who died that night. However, the thief had dragged him the entire way here his hand never once letting the detective’s wrist go. Not to mention how many times before and after that they accidently touched somehow. Rumors existed that Kaitou Kid bribed Lady Luck to always stay by his side but this had to go beyond just luck. Even thinking that the civilian life Kid led before was the one who disappeared while his soul clung to the gentleman thief persona still didn’t explain a single thing. It was a theory at best. “How am I supposed to when you’ve provided me with little to no information?” He shot back, choosing his words carefully. One mistaken term and Kid could put two and two together. Somehow, he felt that wouldn’t end well for either parties involved.

The magician watched him without moving an inch. It was the same gaze that had been boring into his back the last few days. With a sigh Kid dismissed it, “I suppose you’re right…” and went back to the deck now spewed across the table.

While the other concentrated on his cards, Shinichi observed every twitch of muscle with a scrutinizing eye. The thief had always been great at hiding his thoughts and emotions during heists so each subtle movement of his face, shoulders, posture, everything had to be accounted for. “What do you remember from your last heist?”

With the solitaire stacks completed, minus one ace of hearts Shinichi noted, they were pushed into a central pile and collected. The cards themselves looked brand new but he could tell from the tiny frays along the edges that wasn’t true. Perhaps Kid’s personal deck he kept on him for moments like these, idly shuffling them with speeds that Shinichi couldn’t help but be impressed at. He watched in awe as mini stacks of 5 or more cards flipped over, under, through the air and in between the magician’s incredibly skilled fingers. The detective quietly gulped at the last thought, biting his tongue as if that’d suppress the slight reddening of his cheeks. “Let’s see…” Kid’s gaze turned upwards at the ceiling. “I remember getting the jewel, easily evading the police,” It was odd how the thief didn’t name anything in his description of events. Not even getting more specific and saying ‘task force’ instead. “I remember our little scuffle and regretfully having to leave my cute detective alone on a roof.” Shinichi bit the inside of his cheeks harder then his tongue and pretended to cough, using it as an excuse to hide behind the last gulp left of his coffee. …‘My’? …‘Cute’? Thankfully Kid didn’t comment on his less then subdued embarrassment. “Escaped the helicopters through the skyscrapers of the surrounding city…” A sound of confusion escaped the thief’s lips and without warning the cards scattered onto the wooden floors.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, stepping out of his chair to assist the clean up. It was admittedly odd, seeing Kaitou Kid mess up. Every one of his tricks were so elaborate and expertly preformed. Of course the magician had to practice to have them run so smoothly. But cards? Compared to the rest of the thief’s antics those were child’s play. The slip up had to be nervousness or something else. All but a few remained with twenty in Shinichi’s hold. When they both reached for the same one his hand brushed against the laced glove and he back peddled mumbling a “sorry” as the thief picked up the card with a grin as if it wasn’t the big deal Shinichi was making it out to be. Still a bit flustered he returned the cards before taking his seat again. Honestly. It was Kid’s fault. What with the roses after their interactions during heists and the underhand comments.

“Nothing just… I don’t recall landing but… the next thing I remember is waking up on the floor of my safe house.”

“How far is it from the main city?” Kid froze for a hesitant second. The detective could see it in the twitch of the hand that temporarily halted the now nervous shuffling. It was clear that wasn’t a clue Kid felt comfortable giving away. But how was he supposed to help if he wasn’t given anything? There was still barely anything to do on. Calculating the time it takes to get from point A to B could help reveal how the thief moved between.

“It’s relatively close, just outside the border of the city.” He flashed a grin. “If you’re thinking of tracking and arresting me there, I have several I can stay at.”

Shinichi scoffed. As if that weak threat would stop him. "I'm not going to arrest you." He stood by his ideology. He had no interest in catching Kaitou Kid outside a heist. Plus, in these circumstances it seemed less fair. He was more interested at the moment as to why or how Kid was still breathing then sending him to a jail cell.

The only conclusive piece of evidence he had to go on was the fact Kid had a blank in memory. Conveniently at the same time Shinichi felt the thief’s life thread give way. He contemplated divulging his true nature to the magician. Really, who would the guy tell? Assuming he managed to get passed the sheer ridiculousness the story had. Otherwise, dwelling in the dark and cold lake of Kid’s personal mystery would be increasingly difficult. Could he really help without giving up _how_ he knew certain bits of information or that those bits existed? He was fully removed from the case… while Kid wasn’t aware there _was_ a case with his name on it there was no telling how long that secret would hold out.

“What kind of ‘help’ did you want from me, Kid?” Whoever Kaitou Kid was died last Friday within an hour after the heist ended. Yet he remained complete and intact, minus years of personal memories. This was a mess. One that Shinichi wanted to keep a close eye on. Just in case.

“Kai.” Shinichi raised an eyebrow. That was hardly an answer. “Kairen Mitsuru.” The serious tone in that feminine voice now became sickly sweet again. She winked and the collected deck in her hand disappeared from sight with a snap of her fingers despite the severe lack of sleeves. “I hope you won’t mix up the names in the future.” She reached into the side of her bra and pulled out a bundle of cash. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she slowly licked the tip of her finger and extracted a bill from the folded bunch. Kairen placed it gently on the center of the table and leaned over it, the ginger wig… or could it be hair extensions… falling smoothly off her shoulders. Kid’s lips brushed against Shinichi’s ear and in the magician’s own voice whispered, “I look forward to seeing you again, my adorable red-faced detective.” Those words with the warm breath against his neck made Shinichi blush more. Mitsuru backed away from the stunned detective with a giggle and took her leave.

His eyes didn’t stray from Kid’s form even after the magician was long gone from the coffee shop. Their waitress had come over to clean the table and Shinichi quickly took his leave offering another thank you to the barista. While he doubted it would do anything, the detective in him still scanned the street for that disguise. Coming up expectantly empty handed the death god retreated back home, wondering when ‘Kairen Mitsuru’ would show her face again.


	5. Earth’s Gravitational Pull

That night the detective laid awake in his bed. In his mind he went over every moment with Kid in that coffee shop. Any detail he might have missed that could lead to another clue. It didn’t help that Kid never clarified exactly what he wanted help on. Finding out who he was when he wasn’t the Magician Under the Moonlight would obviously reveal the thief’s identity. It went without saying. Shinichi’s heart had picked up at the thought. For Kid to trust him with that potential information meant so much. The teen had no idea when he finally succumbed to sleep.

A putrid smell invaded his senses pulling him from what little sleep he managed to get. Shinichi bolted upright on the covers. Breathing through his nose once more made him almost gag at the stench. He crossed the room with a bit of morning lead-footedness. The detective picked up a clean cloth from the top of his dresser and his cell phone, calling Division One immediately. He would recognize that odor anywhere.

By the time Shinichi checked the entire second story the call was connected. He practically jumped down the stairs to the ground floor when he heard an officer’s voice. “….. heuuuh…llo? You’ve reached the Beika Police Department, Division One…” He could hear the pauses for yawns as the tired officer spoke.

“It’s Kudo. Connect me to Inspector Megure immediately.” He interrupted, words spilling from his lips between quick breaths as he ran through the rooms. Praying to not find a body stashed inside his own house.

“Hey wait a minute… I’ve been warned about this. Just because you’ve stayed silent for the week doesn’t mean we can let you in on the-”

The bored tone of the operating telephone officer was pissing him off. “Are you freakin’ kidding me right now? I said get me Megure! There’s been a murder!”

“Ah! Sorry! Yes, sir-!” Various sounds of ruffling papers and frantic button presses came through the phone. Honestly some people on the force were so useless in serious situations. Having checked both floors Shinichi opened the basement door and only needed to take a quick inhale to know the smell wasn’t coming from there. Several glances at the backyard gave him nothing.

Skipping right passed his shoes the detective heaved the front door open. “Inspector Megure, here, Kudo what’s the scene look-” Not even two step out he froze, a gasp escaping his lips as he reeled back from the sight, dropping his phone on the walkway. “What was that sound? Kudo, what’s wrong?” Any small whistles of sleep were burned from his being due to the gruesome image displayed in the house’s front yard. Shinichi covered his mouth and lurched forward, trying his hardest not to throw up. But god the smell. It was so much worse then inside. From his cell he could hear the Inspector still yelling for him, “Hello? Kudo!”

Swallowing the bile down, Shinichi cleared his throat and picked up his cell. “My house,” He began to explain, his eyes not once leaving the body. "Bring the whole crew... the body's messier then normal."

"Has anyone noticed it besides you?"

"The smell? Most likely. The actual body? Doesn't seem so. It's in the front yard. Someone would have had to climb the fence or peek in from the gate." The teen's feet quickly brought him to the lock on the entryway. "I can't find any visual evidence of tampering." Off the property there were no shouts of a murder or a body except the occasional comment of something awful in the air.

"We'll be on scene as soon as possible..." There was a silent pause before the connection was cut. It didn't need to be said. He dealt with so many crime scenes even the simple reminder was dropped. He knew what to do while he waited for the officers to arrive.

 

Shinichi circled the body, pulling on his gloves, while the criminal photographer took shots of the body and immediate surrounding area. The body was stretched between two trees, numerous insects swarming around and eating the decaying skin and tissue. The abdomen had been sliced open, innards at the time of death all rushing to escape. The little and big intestines, however, were the unfortunate deteriorated organs suspending the body roughly a foot from the ground. At first glance, the body appeared to have merely fallen from the sky, intestines getting tangled within the branches and preventing the splat that would have surely woken the sleeping detective last night. However, there wasn't a single broken branch nor any unusual pile of leafs torn from their buds near either tree or blown through the yard. Meaning the victim had to have been placed delicately in the branches... without Shinichi noticing. The question that irked his mind after that conclusion was, _what's the point of going through the trouble?_

“Kudo.” Sergeant Takagi caught Shinichi’s arm, pulling him away from the scene. “You called it in. We’ll have someone else look over the body…”

“If you’re implying that I killed him and might tamper with the evidence-”

Takagi hastily withdrew his arm, raising them up defensively. “No, no! I didn’t mean it like that. I just… have to go through the required witness questioning with you.”

As the Sergeant began the standard questions Shinichi’s eyes wandered to the victim. He watched as Detective Sato observed the scene only allowed to gather clues from what she could see. Due to the peculiar positioning any small movement could disrupt the scene or tear the rotted organs apart. The victim was a thin, average height, white male with hip length blond hair which was already starting to peel off with a few layers of the scalp. His grey eyes and mouth, the later of which was swarming with maggots, were widened in horror. Could he have seen his assailant or knew of his impending death? Based on the wrinkles on the victim's hands, wrists, face and what was visible around his collar from Shinichi’s point of view the teen guessed the man was somewhere in his 80s. No rings on either ring finger nor any signs of past skin alterations so he was likely unmarried, either single or currently dating. Meanwhile various other officers on the scene exchanged dozens of evidence bags.

Shinichi spotted a wallet below where the body resided besides a pair of broken glasses. Sato bent down and gestured to it. The buzzing and sound of chewing maggots grew in volume as she neared the corpse. The photographer gave a nod and the detective carefully retrieved it. The item was beat up, old and worn with less then 10 dollars inside. Either it was a prized possession or based on the low amount he was carrying and the severe lack of any other payment forms, the victim was likely on the poorer side. She flicked it open and pulled out the driver's license, "Hoyt Hatsuzaki, 84 years old. Disabled and unemployed... Inspector, there's an address here."

Megure turned his full attention on the detective. He took the card and the rest of the wallet. After jotting down the address he slipped the license back into the sleeve and deposited the wallet into an evidence bag. "Find anything else?"

"The grass is free of blood and there's no signs of any drippings between here and the front gate." It was a weekly occurrence for Shinichi to be in the paper. People knowing who he was and what he looked like was a given. With a name they could easily track down his address. It wasn't a national secret. But to go through the trouble of dumping a murder victim in the high school detective's front yard? Why bother and why his? Unless whoever the culprit was, had been someone from a past case. However many of such were lengthy planned out revenge-murders against friends, enemies or spouses. There were tricks preformed in front of the eyes of members of the force either to fake an alibi or shift blame onto an unsuspecting third party. The victim before them already didn't seemed to fit into those previous cases.

The Medical Examiner, Rin Reitou, strolled in through the gate. She had a quick word with the photographer and proceeded to the Inspector's side. She took one look at the scene and sighed. "Pleasant." The examiner knelt down and took the victim’s liver temperature. "Well, I can say the vic's been dead for at least a few days. No more then a week tops." She bent one of the victim's fingers back and forth. "You can tell since there's no signs of rigor mortis present. This guy's been dead long enough for the stiffness to set in and return to a rag doll." They pointed towards the gash. "Any gases the body produced while starting to decompose exited the wound so it's no surprise the limbs aren't expanding." She glanced over to Shinichi with a dark grin. "At least you don't have to worry about it exploding in your yard, eh?" The detective merely sighed, accustom to and an occasional participant in the kind of dark humor that floats through the police force.

Inspector Megure hummed, holding his chin in thought. It would certainly explain the rotting stench. As newer bodies took at least 12 hours before they began to smell. "I presume you could narrow down the window in the official autopsy, correct?"

The examiner made a noise in agreement. "My first impression is they were sliced here," She made a cutting gesture around the gaping wound down the abdomen. "From the slight nicks in the skin, I'd say the cut stared small before another pass was made, each one wider until the victim's inner's gushed out the hole. Death could have been from the shock or easily just bled out." She gave a nod and backed away. An officer came over and gently wrapped the victim’s hands in plastic bags before laying down a body bag a foot from the site. Followed by a group of officers who, each taking a limb, unraveled the decomposing organs from the trees and lowered the victim into the bag.

With the feet carefully tucked in, Shinichi received the go ahead to check over the body before it was taken away to the morgue. There wasn't much else to add. The rough, partially calloused skin pointed to the victim being left handed. "There are marks above the ankles, the wrists and neck. A few bruises behind the shoulders and on the back of the heel." A bizarre mark caught the teen's eyes. He flexed the victim's toes back. An incision was made into the right big toe sometime after Hoyt's death, as there was no evidence of blood. "I've got something here. It's embedded pretty deep." Both Megure and Rin gathered behind the detective. "Whoever made this cut has to be skilled with a scalpel as well as with a needle."

"I can take a closer look back at the lab." Rin paused, looking down at the scene. "Need any more time?" Shinichi stood up, shaking his head. She bent down in his place and zipped the body up. Waving to a few officers in waiting. The victim was lifted and placed in the coroner’s car.

"Thank you for your hard work." Megure called out, receiving a nod from the examiner before climbing into the car and driving off. The Inspector turned to the owner of the residence. "Kudo." All he got was a grunt of acknowledgement. "Any idea why here? Why your house?"

It was irritating. The sheer lack of clues didn't help point the investigation in any direction with confidence. Not even the forensics officers uncovered anything; no prints, no forgotten cigarette buds, no signs of forced entry, no tire marks, no nothing. All anyone could do was await the official autopsy and whatever came from visiting the victim's home address. “Sad to say, not a single one.” At least not a new theory. A previous culprit from a past case could be plausible. However, none of them were ever put on probation or released. Certainly not so soon after being incarcerated. Finding a murder victim in the one place the death god believed was free from the constant bodies dropping behind him though… Invading the only clear cut sanctuary was as if the killer was trying to tell him _nowhere is safe_.

“Where were you last night?” Inspector Megure pulled out a notepad from within his jacket, clicking his pen open. “If you wouldn’t mind just listing your activities from when you left school to when you called us…?” Of course he’d be questioned.

“Bought a coffee on the way home, same place as usual.” Shinichi couldn’t mention Kid. He wasn’t even willing to give up the thief’s current alias. Sure, the magician easily fooled the police but the detective didn’t want to risk it. The less the once-dead thief came into contact with either division the better. “I took a wrong turn. Found a new café a few blocks off my beaten path, sat in the back for about an hour. Came home. Locked the doors and didn’t leave for the rest of the night.”

Megure wrote down the story without any signs of doubting it. “Do you remember the name of the second café so we can validate that?” Shinichi shifted his weight, shaking his head. “Did anyone see or visit you while you were in last night? A neighbor perhaps?” Another negative response. The Inspector snapped his notebook shut with a frown. “Sorry to say Kudo, but you know the drill on these things. We can’t rule out any possibilities and you don’t have a solid alibi for the body’s placement.” Megure pocketed the notes and crossed his arms, dipping his head in thought. “With your perceptive nature, frankly I’m surprised you didn’t hear anything.”

Shinichi didn’t bother replying to the comment. Anything he said would have sounded like a cop-out anyway.

 

The crime scene was sealed off with caution police tape, the gate was double locked and Shinichi was loading a single suitcase into the trunk of a patrol car. Until the scene was cleaned up he was informed that his temporary residence was to be a paid for hotel room close to home. With a few day’s worth of clothing, a couple of his favorite books, the current murder files he was working on and as much coffee as he could stuff into any empty space left the teenager begrudgingly climbed into the back seat of the vehicle.

A knock on the window caught his attention. “I’ll give your school a call, let them know the basics, alright Kudo?” He nodded at the Inspector. As soon as they received the go ahead, the car pulled out onto the road. Groups of people passed in a slow motion blur on the sidewalks. With a sigh the teen resolved himself to what he knew would be an awful week.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi was booked for a room on the 5th floor of the Hotel New Beika. The room was nothing special. It had the regular single bed, mini refrigerator, microwave, a small terrace, a chair, little table and a complete bathroom. The bed’s sheets, carpet and wallpaper all said mundane. Five minutes in the room and he had already begun hating it. Not being surrounded by books lining the walls gave the room an empty feeling. The only plus was that he wouldn’t have to walk all the way to the kitchen on the first floor for coffee as he quickly spotted a mini in-room brewing pot in the corner on top of the fridge. The teen had thrown his suitcase onto the dresser when he first arrived.

Shinichi strolled out onto the terrace. A dove flew off the railing as he leaned against it. The culprit was certainly brave… or arrogant... likely both. He or she had guts to dump their victim in the Detective of the East’s front yard. With no clues to theorize from and having to wait for the examiner’s report on the body, Shinichi pulled out his phone.

It rang once before the other side picked up. “Kudo.” The fellow high school detective didn’t even bother to hide the annoyance in his voice.

“Hakuba.” Might as well get to the point. “I’m asking for a favor.”

There was a soft laugh on the other end. “Kid’s case was passed to the homicide division. You were told to stay out… although knowing you that order will be ignored to the best of your ability. Especially since you’re still asking me.”

Shinichi turned to lean his back against the railing. “We’re special consultants, not even out of high school. Hakuba. We don’t have a division.” A silence took over the line. Shinichi could almost hear the cogs turning in the British detective’s mind. Contemplating breaking out of the squeaky clean good-boy role. “Do you really think the police are going to be able to solve this by themselves?” Another long pause. He was beginning to wonder if Saguru merely hung up.

“… let me relocate to somewhere more private first. I’ll call you back in a few minutes… you owe me big for this Kudo.” With a click the connection was cut. Shinichi pushed off the railing and darted for his suitcase. He haphazardly tossed a few pieces of clothing out in search for one of his working case notebooks. They were bigger and easier to work with then his pocket sized.

After getting situated at the table, Shinichi stared at his phone impatiently for a few seconds before a thought occurred to him. He gathered his cell, notepad, pen and wallet with the room key before bolting out the door.

By the time he reached the edge of Teimuzu River his cell finally buzzed. He took a seat on the edge before the ground’s dip. “A bit inconvenient of you to call during school hours, you know. What did you want to know?”

“Anything and everything you can tell me.”

A sigh. “Let’s see… at exactly 1:16.45 last Friday I witnessed Kaitou Kid’s fall from the sky on my way to meet up with Inspector Nakamori. His hang glider did not show any signs of opening nor did he appear to be struggling for it to. My car managed an abrupt stop and I jumped out as I heard the crunch of his…” Even Shinichi cringed at the thought. It was always different when the dead was someone you knew or at least frequently crossed paths with. “I think the worst was when I arrived at his side. He was still choking on his blood. His suit was stained red in various places, multiple gunshot wounds littered his body.” Hakuba cleared his throat over the phone. “An agonizing 10.96 seconds later his breathing stopped. I checked his pulse. He was gone. I trust you remember the rest."

Even though the other couldn't see him do so, Shinichi confirmed with a nod. The marking of a pen filled the heavy space. “Inspector Megure let slip ‘them’.”

“A few patrols searched the area and rooftops. Multiple bullet casings from various guns were recovered. It couldn’t have been just one shooter. No one could hold handguns and assault riffles and shoot with that accuracy all at once.” It wasn’t the first time someone took aim at Kid. There was Hakuba’s personal search for Spider, plus the run in with Scorpion, a few scattered occurrences on rooftops directly after a heist some of which Shinichi had been present for. No matter how many times he asked the thief never budged an inch on the subject, always diverting the conversation or making some inappropriate comment.

“No bulletproof vest?”

“I didn’t feel one… for the genius I calculated him to be he was quite the idiot..”

A cool spring breeze rustled the leaves alongside the river. “… one of my classmates has yet to show his smug face all week. His house was dark and empty when I checked days ago. Aoko said she talked to his mother. Mentioned some sudden family trip out of the country. It’s too much of a coincidence to believe.” Kid’s family must have used that as a cover. Even if it was pretty weak. Shinichi already knew Kid’s family was aware. Especially after the Ryoma’s Treasure incident. “I have to admit. It’s difficult being the only one who knows he won’t return.”

Shinichi hummed in agreement, overall unsure what to say. “Hey, Kudo.” There was a hint of suspicion in his voice. “It’s been almost a week since you asked anyone about Kaitou Kid. What did you find out?”

The teen’s hand paused its writing. Ironic how Hakuba asked when Shinichi was adding the details Kid himself gave the detective yesterday afternoon. “What makes you jump to that conclusion?” He asked a bit defensively back, pen coming down on the sheet again.

“I heard you haven’t been stalking the station or trying to insert yourself onto Kid’s case at all. Now all of a sudden you’re twisting my arm for details.” Hanging up without warning would only confirm Saguru’s theory. “This info exchange goes both ways. What do you know?”

“Hakuba, really and truly. I don’t know anything you don’t. You know finals are around the corner. Not to mention the new cases this week.”

Another awkward silence passed as Hakuba was debating whether to buy the excuse or not. “Fine. Keep me up to date on whatever you find.” Shinichi could hear a few muffled voices over the phone growing louder. “I’ve have to go. Good luck, Kudo.”

 

* * *

 

The following afternoon Shinichi was given the go ahead to return to his house, the crime scene cleaned up and all evidence bagged. He had barely walked through the front door when his cell rang. Shinichi pulled his overnight bag off his shoulder and let it fall onto the floor. “That was fast.”

Rin laughed a bit guilt over the phone. “What can I say? There wasn’t much else to do so might as well, huh? Can you make it?”

“Yeah.” The teen checked his watch as he exited back through the door. “I’ll be there shortly.” Shinichi cut the call and rushed toward the Beika Police Department.

 

By the time he arrived Inspector Megure, Sergeant Takagi and Detective Sato were all gathered around the examination table displaying the body of Hoyt Hatsuzaki, Medical Examiner Reitou standing by the victim’s head. He stepped over the threshold and suppressed the urge to shiver. There were three other tables, two empty ones to the left of Hatsuzaki and one currently occupied by a body from a separate case on the right. Lining the far wall were eight body freezers. Two surgical trays filled with various supplies were pushed a few feet away on either since of Rin.

“Now that we’re all accounted for, here’s what I found.” Rin took retrieved her clipboard of all the official findings and began reading. “Exact time of death was last Thursday at 7.36AM.”

Detective Sato checked her notes, “At that time, Kudo was working on a case with Inspector Megure just outside the gates of Beika Park.”

“Looks like you’re off the suspect list for this one. Sorry about doubting you.” Megure offered an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his head.

Shinichi waved it off wanting to get back to the report. “Don’t worry about it. You can’t not suspect someone just because they either work for the police or because they don’t seem the type.”

“Suspected weapons used; butcher knife, any type of long sword ranging from a machete to a katana and an axe.” She flipped the page and continued. “As for the marks on his wrists, ankles and neck they were made from a pigmented leather. Possibly as a very durable strap to hold our guy to something. Likely an un-sanded wooden table from the bruises and small splinters I pulled from his back.”

“Also, imbedded into his right big toe actually quite far under the skin was this,” Rin unclipped and held up a picture what looked like a small slightly rectangular piece nestled inside a miniature plastic bag.

The three adults all leaned in closer to try to get a better look at whatever it was. Though the dried blood coating the outer bag didn’t make it easy. “What exactly is it?”

 “Since you so nicely asked, it seems to be an SD Card.” Rin placed the picture down onto the table. “The kind you’d find in a digital camera, gaming device, video recorder or even a computer. It’s just a regular storage device.” As the three officers all inquired further into the item Shinichi examined the evidence himself. When he saw the incision it looked professionally done and definitely made post mortem. Even alive, it wasn’t the kind of object one would expect to find stuck under the skin. It had to be a message or code left by the murderer. The teen was already itching to see what was loaded onto the device; photographs, documents, video footage, or other different kinds of data. No matter what was present it would surely pinpoint their killer. He had to admit, leaving such an item behind was a bold move. One that felt confidently planned.

“I’m afraid I don’t know yet what’s on it.” Rin’s uncertain voice brought Shinichi back from his thoughts. “I already sent it up to Nezumi for further analysis but she hasn’t gotten back to me. She did mention after about an hour of working on it that it had some bizarre, multileveled encryption on it.”

“Alright. Thank you for your good work. Keep the communication open, let us know if you find anything else.”

“Yes, sir!” Rin saluted and stuck her tongue out to the side with a wink. “You got it! Good luck catching that bastard!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who have become accustomed to my relatively quick semi-consistent updates, as of a little over 3 weeks ago my senior year of college has officially started. Which sadly means my free time to write has dramatically decreased. I'm hoping to avoid a hiatus as I've scheduled a few nights to write at the end of the day but progress will be slowing down.  
> Letting you all know, just in case :)


	6. Magician Under the Red Moon

Two weeks passed since the completion of Hatsuzaki’s autopsy. The days slipped by without any obscenities. People died in his path as normal and he didn’t come across a certain thief again. He finished the cases given to him and returned them in his typical timely fashion. Things were quiet. At least until someone rapidly knocked on his front door.

“What is the meaning of this!” Saguru Hakuba shouted as he shoved past the open door and the mildly startled Shinichi. The detective stormed into the house, making a turn into the kitchen as soon as he found it. Shinichi followed shortly after him, wincing as a loud screech assaulted his ears and the chair Hakuba violently moved out of the way hit the cabinets. The blonds’ hand slammed onto the top of the island, a sheet of paper underneath. “Explain, Shinichi Kudo,” the detective commanded as he lifted his palm from the piece and crossed his arms.

Shinichi lifted an eyebrow at his fellow detective before shifting his attention to the paper. The first thing he noticed was the signature caricature beside one Kaitou Kid inscription at the end of the heist notice. He hid his surprise by leaning down to take a closer look at it. The ink around the lettering was grainy, likely a copy of the original notice. As he read the riddle, one thought kept flying through his mind. _That dumb, brainless, arrogant, undead thief!_

“I didn’t take you to be a liar, Kudo.” Shinichi glanced up from the notice. That comment came out of nowhere. “What have you been keeping from the Kid investigation?” He was about to open his mouth with a retort hot on his tongue when Hakuba continued. “Judging from your lack of confusion or surprise at the notice, you knew something like this,” Saguru jerked his finger towards the notice. “-would happen. So out with it!”

“Hakuba. You need to take a deep breath. You’re stressed. You said yourself, Kaitou Kid passed in front of you. That classmate of yours suspiciously left around the same time. Did you honestly not expect some sort of copy cat to pop up?”

“Sure, the possibility is still in the air. But a little over 3 weeks since the incident? Given that it was kept out of the media as well. No one outside the stations knew. Kid has had longer stretches between heists in the past. It’s too early for a copy cat to confidently surface.” As he spoke, the detective’s eyes glanced at the heist riddle. The difficulty of each were above a certain level and this one was no different. The hidden messages, fake locations and the true goals expertly written in between the lines was hard to accurately fake. As someone who followed the thief even before Shinichi began to do so, it’d be obvious if the riddle was up to par or not.

“Have you heard anything from that classmate you mentioned?” Hakuba merely shook his head. Shinichi was curious for a name but didn’t press. Sure it could help with Kid’s request but it might also be better the thief wasn’t reminded. There was no telling what it could do to the magician’s wiped psyche. He could guess Hakuba abstained from naming the fellow student just in the off chance he was wrong. There was a tense silence before Shinichi decided to break it. “How is the task force taking this?”

“Not well in the slightest. Let’s just say they didn’t take too kindly to it.” There was a hint of a smile on the edge of Habuka’s lips. “But seeing as it’s still a theft alert, they have to respond to it. Whoever was stupid enough to pretend to be Kid… I would not want to be them when the task force catches him… or her I guess.”

“I’m betting they’re past the denial stage then?”

“Big time. Though it still lingers with the Inspector. You know how he is.” Shinichi couldn’t help but smile at the comment himself. Thinking back to when ‘Kaitou Kid’ fired a real gun while stealing that diamond. How depressed Ginzo Nakamori was afterwards even when it was really Lupin the 3rd. Or the stories he was told when Kid had supposedly disappeared for 3 months without a peep. Shinichi could only imagine how Nakamori would act at this heist.

 

* * *

 

Security at the heist was no different than ones before it. Helicopters were patrolling the skies, a handful of riot cops positioned at the entrances and emergency exits as well as numerous regular officers stationed throughout the area. Motion sensors littered the property along with double the normal cameras. The only contrast was the enthusiasm present. Or better yet, lack there of. Not a single person involved was looking forward to the time designated on the notice. A suffocating miasma filled the hallways and even lingered outside of the building. Luckily it went unnoticed by the third party spectators crowding the site. While many held a general angered expression and demeanor, a few officers’ hands were twitching towards the gun on their belts. Nakamori wasn’t even yelling his usual rant. Boy was Kid going to have it rough tonight.

As Shinichi stepped into the main room that held the thief’s target he spotted a civilian he had never seen at a heist before. She appeared to be his age with chest length red hair with eyes of the same color. Despite her mysterious presence no one seemed perturbed about her, as if she was meant to be there. He took a step in her direction and it immediately brought her gaze over. A painful jolt shot up his spine and his heart fluttered in response. She was radiating an air of confidence with a smirk that might as well rival the thief in white. She gave him a smile that made him blink before she disappeared into the crowd of officers who slowly parted to make way for her. No matter how hard he thought about it, there was no longer a question about her attending.

Saguru Hakuba squeezed through the crowd the girl had left through, faltering a bit as he managed to escape the mass amount of people. On his way to Shinichi’s side the detective flipped out his pocket watch. “4 minutes and 37 seconds left until it begins… where are you going?”

“I’m going to watch from the sidelines. The task force should have no trouble catching a copy cat.” He said over his shoulder as he proceeded to the far edge of the room near the exit. He really just didn’t want to get caught in whatever Kid had planned. There were a few choice words he wanted to say to the thief. He didn’t want to waste any time having to get out of a trap.

In line with the thief’s usual tactics the lights were cut when the time turned 11.59pm. No one moved from their positions. All of them tensed, ready for some kind of fight. Shinichi closed his eyes and listened. A faint sound of hurried footsteps echoed against the flooring.

When he opened them he squinted, the lights turned back on and the jewel floating up and down as if tossed by an invisible hand above the display pedestal. Freaked, many of the officers reached for their guns. Confusion lined their faces as they held bright, yellow roses free of their thorns. The flowers quickly hit the ground, their joyous meaning lost in frustration.

The jewel stopped bouncing in the air, “I’m crushed you discarded my gifts.” The thief’s words were laced with false sadness.

“Enough pretending, CopyCat. How dare you! Show yourself!” Nakamori yelled.

“Copycat?” Although no one could see him do it, they heard the thief snap his fingers. The flowers all expanded until they burst. Colorful dust filled the air like miniature diamonds before slowly falling back down. In the confusion, Kid stripped off the cloaking material and appeared, standing on the glass case holding the gem. He tapped his heel against the pedestal three times. In place of the particles a long rope of rainbow colored scarves all tied together floated down encircling and trapping the taskforce in a spider web like mess. “Could a copycat do that, Inspector?”

All the anger seething just under the surface of Nakamori’s skin slipped away. His posture was tense, confused as he was torn between scared and perhaps a bit joyful at the thief’s not-dead status. Yet already details were compiling in his mind. It didn’t add up. Hakuba said… had felt the life leave the magician’s veins. There was no way. “Kai…tou …K-Kid?”

Said thief vanished the jewel on his person and bowed graciously. “The one and only.” Seconds ticked by without another sound. Kid made a noise of confusion, opening one eye and looking up at his task force. “What? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The expressions on everyone’s faces was disturbed to say the least. All of their jaws appeared unhooked from their skulls as though baffled by who stood in front of them. Indigo eyes searched the crowd. “Even you detective?”

Kid straightened up, bringing a gloved hand to his chin. “I signed my notice, didn’t I?” He mumbled to himself, seemingly searching for an answer in the ceiling.

“How…. It’s impossible…” Inspector Nakamori muttered under his breath. It was truly as if he was witnessing a traumatic scene. His heart had already been torn apart weeks ago when he got the news. And now? No… it couldn’t be the real Kaitou Kid. That frustrating goofball would never be so cruel to fake his own death. Let alone pretend it never happened. Yet here he was. Before them with the stolen jewel in true Kid fashion.

The phantom thief’s signature smile was back. “A magician can’t reveal his secrets, you know.”

“No…. how are you… alive?” the blond detective stuttered out finally. His body shook as that night came to the forefront of his mind. Sure, deductions could be wrong but not a pulse.

Shinichi jumped away from the wall. This situation wasn’t looking good.

“Eh? Surely you jest. As you can see, I’m very mu-” The task force waited, eyes fixated on the now frozen thief. His gaze, unsteady and distant.

Shinichi weaved through the ribbons at an undesirably slow speed. He could see it. Kid’s uncertain soul breaking at the knowledge of his death. His enigma existence coming to an end as he realizes he shouldn’t still be in the world of the living. When he was by the thief’s feet he carefully reached out, calling the thief’s name as sweetly as possible as if approaching a scared, cornered animal.

In the blink of an eye, Kaitou Kid pulled out his card gun and fired. The card sliced diagonally across the back of the detective’s fingers before a corner embedded itself into the floor. Shinichi immediately pulled his hand back, grimacing from the sharp pain that was thankfully already starting to fade. A quick look and he knew the cuts were deep but not too damaging despite the blood dripping from the wounds.

His eyes followed the tip of the gun that was still held out up to the eyes of its owner. Although one hand was clutching his head, causing his top hat to tilt back, there was enough light for him to barely see past the monocle. Kid looked terrified, a pain in his widened eyes. He couldn’t tell if it was from any returning memories or that the thief himself broke the no one gets hurt policy.

The characteristically smug smile was nowhere to be found. In its place was a panicked scowl. Shinichi watched as the card gun fell from trembling fingers. Kid’s breathing had picked up, strained, heavy and uneven. He held his head in his hands, his shoulders hunching forward as he doubled over. All questioning shouts from the trapped officers around them died as the thief screamed in agony. The sound felt like a knife through Shinichi’s heart and he instinctively gripped the fabric over his chest.

Kid dragged his hands down his face as he threw his head back, feet stumbling on the small platform. A smoke bomb exploded as the thief’s foot caught the edge wrong. Coughs engulfed the room. Shinichi grabbed the card gun and had almost maneuvered out of the ribbon web still trapping the task force and Hakuba in place when the smoke cleared. It was no surprise when he heard exclamations of the missing magician.

Shinichi ran down various hallways, skidding around the corners towards what he knew would be Kaitou Kid’s escape route. The detective burst through the door towards the stairs and was immediately thrown into a wall by an invisible force. He struggled against the hold on him with no prevail.

“Well, well, well if it isn’t the demon of light… or should I say ‘angel of death’?” The girl from before the heist began started to laugh. She was dressed very differently from the last time he laid eyes on her. She wore purple leggings under a red skirt draped to the one side. She had long purple gloves with five golden hoops over each in even spacing. Her purple top was much more revealing for her figure. She had three beaded necklaces and two golden ravens, one on each shoulder. As well as a cobra center piece on a golden headband. Her red cape gave her a mysticallook. “I didn’t want company but I guess since you must already be aware I’ll have interrogate you after. Stay right there, will you?” Her voice sounded sweet and intoxicating. If he wasn’t so focused on the similarly trapped thief behind her he may have been more compelled to listen.

“What are you?” Shinichi asked as the stairwell turned an eerie red. She sent a glance his way and suddenly breathing became extensively difficult. Shinichi was reduced to dragging in any small puff of oxygen possible before she turned her attention back to her other captive. The detective fell to his knees onto theground, startled from the abrupt freedom of his limbs. He coughed multiple times fire burning his lungs from the previous lack of air.

“I’m a witch and I’ll be dealing with you later, Death. But certainly not on your terms.” She hadn’t turned around but he could hear the confident smile in her words. “Now. What am I going to do with you, Mr. Kaitou Kid? To forget me? Unacceptable.”

Kid’s arms were stretched out horizontally on either side of his body. His eye catching hat fallen on its side two steps up the stairs. From the floor, Shinichi could see Kid’s attempt to bring his poker face back despite the pain still lingering from earlier. “I’m sorry, miss. But I really don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Akako, Kid! The one who was to take your heart whether you liked it or not!” Akako yelled. She tightly weaved her hands through Kid’s bangs and held his head back against the wall, exposing his neck. He glared at her, grinding his teeth together to stop any sound from escaping. With her free hand, she cupped his face. “What happened to you Kid?” Her voice was sweet again, the threatening tone replaced with one of false concern. The girl’s fingers traced down the thief’s face to the tip of his chin, down his neck caressing every curve and twirled around the red tie. Some lingering anger inside the detective begged to lash out as he watched her so carelessly and easily touch the thief. “How dare you forget me.” She pulled the knot loose and yanked the tie from around his neck, discarding it near the safety railing.

A burning red crept onto Shinichi’s cheeks as he watched Akako continue to undress Kaitou Kid. The white jacket’s single button was undone followed by a few from the top of the blue dress shirt that began to loosen the collar. “Woah, wo-wait! Miss uh… I’m truly flattered but would you mind refraining from this?” She drew runes in the air that glowed faintly red. Her hand hovered over the middle of his chest, tips of her fingers barely touching. Both boys had been following every movement closely. “What exactly are you-?”

Warm gusts of air circled around the woman, an ominous red light illuminated her features. Streaks of red flowed down her arm until they dispersed against the skin of her hand. As she pressed her palm against the blue fabric the thief’s head lulled forward. She spoke, words slipping out silently from between her lips. A pained grunt fell from Kid’s mouth seconds before his head slammed back against the wall with an awful bang. There was that sound again. The one tearing cuts into Shinichi’s heart. “Stop it! What the hell are you doing!?”

The thief’s shoulders pulled away from the wall in a now desperate attempt to break free. His hands clawing the air in anguish. The girl just smiled, speaking over Kid’s screams as if they weren’t filling the space at all. “I’m surprised at you, Mr. Grim Reaper.” She turned her head enough to give the detective a smug glance. “Never once bothered to check this anomaly?”

“His soul is still present so knock it off!” Akako merely laughed obnoxiously in a pitch much higher then her normal voice. Shinichi glared at her with loathing. If his legs didn’t feel so numb…

“Oh, this is quite intriguing… It would sure explain things.” She smirked and without missing a beat moved her hand up to the thief’s forehead. “Almost a complete blank slate, well, apart from one thing. Let’s see if we can’t fix that.”

Shinichi highly doubted whatever that witch was doing could be good. She’s clearly someone who knew Kid and perhaps his civilian identity before he died. “I don’t suppose you’re actually returning his memories…?” he asked cautiously, unsure if there was a point in hopeful speculation. Replacing those forgotten memories couldn’t be good if Kid’s reaction in front of the task force said anything.

“’Returning’? Ahaha! Oh no, I’m not returning anything. You can’t return what isn’t there anymore, not like I would anyway. I didn’t like how he was. Too focused on another.” Shinichi heard the venom in her voice as she paused. “No. I’m _giving_ him memories, better ones. Thoughts, feelings and memories of me and me alone.” The witch stepped closer to Kid. “He certainly doesn’t need to remember _you_. That’d just be a hindrance for me.” Her laughter bounced off the walls, traveling up and down the stairwell until it faded in a distant echo.

Anyone meddling with the thief’s memories struck a cord. The relationship they had cultivated throughout the years of cat and mouse was one he cherished. After pushing past their rival titles it felt like friendship. So many occurrences he had a feeling in the back of his mind that it might be creeping out further than ‘just friends’. When Kid would give him deep red roses, say those blush inducing comments and even the change in mood the magician would have when he found out that Shinichi had indeed come to his heist albeit maybe a little late. It made his heart flutter, his tongue tied and mind go blank. The feeling however, always went ignored until Kid was long gone and the detective was left alone with his thoughts. Which usually didn’t last long as he was soon reunited with the rest of the task force. Whatever it was made him want to protect the magician, protect that beautifully sharp mind and the precious memories inside. What the witch was doing was wrong. If he did nothing… in the end she would be taking his thief away likely to never resurface again. There was no way he’d allow that to happen.

“Don’t even think about it, Death.“ Shinichi watched as Akako lifted her free hand out to her side, a red ball of light enveloping the tip of her pointer finger and she flicked it down. A heavy force shoved the detective into the ground. Any attempts to stand or even sit up were met with an increase in whatever weight was holding him down. “I’ve waited so long to make his heart answer to me and me alone, you’re not going to mess it up now!” Shinichi couldn’t fight against an opponent he couldn’t see or the strange forces he couldn’t control. His heart ached at the thought of losing Kid to this witch. There had to be something he could do. Anything. He felt more like a hopeless human than a supposedly ‘all powerful’ god of death, beaten by some girl who possessed magical powers.

How was he supposed to tap into his own abilities? He’d never had to do it before. It was infuriating. He was clueless in a moment he needed to be sharper than ever.

“What’s this?” Having breached the soul’s defenses, Akako finally got a view of the first memory of the death god scheduled for corruption. “The clock tower, hm?” While they hadn’t met face to face it was still their first battle. The beginning to many times they would cross paths. “Let’s see what we can do with this one…” She leaned closer until she was practically pressed against the thief, muttering lines of what he could only assume was a spell for manipulating the mind. The sight made Shinichi’s blood boil. Kid’s voice, having previously died to an exhausted groan reiterated itself into the world with a vengeance. The sound made his heart weak.

Shinichi’s mind blanked as he subconsciously dove into a darkness within himself, the area that held all of the threads of life from humans all over the world. It was void of all light and had no end no matter how far one went in any direction. His feet created a silent ripple in the water covered floor. The strings all held a vague glow around them as they dangled from seemingly nowhere. Without looking, without even glancing at who the thread belonged to he reached out towards the closest one and pulled. The string easily snapped, floating down into the death god’s palm. He closed his other hand over it, pressing his palms together as he molded the life into a ball. He held it against his chest, forcing it to merge with him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he felt the energy from the soul seep from its owner and enter his body. All while thinking only of keeping his thief safe and at his side. Not once realizing what he was doing.

Blue eyes shot open with new found determination, a fire roaring behind them. Moving one limb at a time, Shinichi pushed himself up onto his knees then onto a shaking pair of legs. It took all his strength to stay on his feet.

The witch had clearly noticed the resistance, backing away from Kid to address the detective with unrelenting anger. When her eyes met his, however, she flinched as if contemplating her options. Flee or take on a wrathful reaper.

The red glow deepened, the shadows casting on the walls morphing into crows that quickly peeled off the two dimensional surface. “You’re not getting away!” Shinichi yelled, lunging for the witch, knowing full well that at his heightened state one touch would kill her.

“Stay away!” Black crows surrounded her, scattering as Shinichi charged through them. He stumbled forward a few steps before recovering. Shinichi watched as the crows escaped, disappearing to another floor.

With the witch gone her influence faded to nothing. The sound of fabric rustling behind him brought the detective back from his outburst. “Kid! Are you alright?” Shinichi whirled around only to instinctively catch the thief as he fell from the wall, landing perfectly in the detective’s outstretched arms. “Kid?” His heart beat once in his chest, hoping against all evidence of his being that he hadn’t just killed the thief with his touch. He knelt down on the floor and turned the magician around. Kid was out. The idiot’s heart was still beating and he was breathing… Kid looked so serene. He relished in how his lookalike’s chest rose and fell with each calm breath even within his arms.

As Shinichi considered the situation he couldn’t help brushing the thief’s unruly bangs back delicately. It took only a few more seconds before the revelation of what he had done came crashing down on his shoulders. Shinichi had just willingly killed someone. Prematurely taking their life force for his own gain. His heart felt like it plummeted 6 feet underground. Did that mean he was a murderer? It wasn’t as if he stabbed or shot someone… more consumed their soul’s energy… The explanation didn’t make him feel any better. Only when he glanced down at the reason behind his crime did his attitude shift ever so slightly. Just the mere memory of his actions made him feel ill with regret. Yet… the knowledge that he almost just lost the man in his arms weighed like a ton of bricks on his heart. Sure, the thief would still be alive but his mind wouldn’t have been the same. Corrupted by that witch to think and feel whatever she wanted. For the time being, the relief that Kid was relatively okay outweighed the remorse he felt towards the life of the random human he ended.

Voices from the task force crawled to the edge of Shinichi’s awareness. Having finally managed to escape their prison the sound of their shoes grew louder as they clobbered against the floor. The two were running out of time. Shinichi glanced at the thief in his arms. Kid wasn’t even awake yet and judging from the torment he just went through there was no telling when he’d stir.

The detective gathered Kid into his arms, one under the magician’s knees while the other supported his back. In a different situation Shinichi might have blushed when Kid’s head rested against his shoulder. After awkwardly locking the door to the stairwell and snatching the top hatand tie, Shinichi hurried up steps locking each door as he went. On the level before the roof he exited into the hallway, locked the stairwell door and picked a random room. It was filled with various wooden crates and boxes stacked upon each other like a maze.

Closing the door behind him with his hip, Shinichi stepped into the storage room and moved around the shelving unit separating the doorway from the majority of the room. As he was laying Kid against a shelf out of sight from the door, the magician shifted. A confused groan slipped past his lips as a gloved hand came up to his forehead. Seconds ticked by before he moved again, suddenly feeling around furiously for his white hat. Shinichi cleared his throat and offered the piece, turning his head away. Kid’s eyes landed on the hat, following the arm holding it up to the other’s face. “If it makes you feel better, it’s been too dark for me to see.”

The hat left his hand and a soft ‘thanks’ filled the awkward space. Kid stood, accepting the tie and card gun back as well. He patted the dust off his suit before quickly fixing the buttons. “Well I better get going then…”

Shinichi shoved him against one of the shelves blocking the exit with his own body. “I’m not going to let you fly off on that glider with the mental state you’re in.”

They stayed there for a few minutes, staring into each other’s eyes, testing the other’s resolve. “…Detective? About what happened… am I-”

“Shh!” Shinichi ducked down pulling the thief with him, covering Kid’s mouth with a hand effectively halting whatever he was about to ask. Rays of light passed through the window a second later. It reflected off the labels and shelves further brightening the room. Shinichi positioned himself over the magician in an attempt to cover the striking white with his more anonymous dark clothing, turning his head to hear better. He could feel the heat radiating in the mere inches between their bodies as he leaned closer, the footsteps in the hallway stopping near the door.

Inspector Nakamori’s voice along with what had to be at least five others all came through the door in muffled syllables. Of course they decided to stop right outside where the two teens were hiding. While neither could accurately make out what was being said, the frustration in the voices were apparent. After what sounded like a heated discussion the officers in the hall split up. Half of the footsteps went back where they came from while the others stopped momentarily before entering the stairwell.

Shinichi turned back to Kid and froze. In the detective’s rush to shield the thief from the light and any possible onlookers he didn’t fully realize the sheer lack of space between them. It slowly registered how close Kid’s lips were to his as he shifted from staring into his reflection off the monocle and that one unblocked startled eye. Heat rose to his cheeks as the magician simply stared back. He could feel the slightly uneven breaths brush against his skin. It must have been a trick of the eye in the darkness but he could have sworn there was faint color in Kid’s cheeks as well. “Um…” Shinichi backed away, embarrassingly crawling off the thief’s lower half. “They seemed to have left the vicinity,” he continued after clearing his throat, avoiding any and all eye contact with the other.

The detective finally managed to look Kid in the eye only to see that signature smirk again. “Well,” He began, leaning forward and taking Shinichi’s chin between his fingers. “As disappointing as it is, it appears as though it’s curtain call for this magic show.”

“You better not plan on escaping as me,” Shinichi replied deadpan.

Kid laughed, the sweet sound hushed so it couldn’t be heard outside the door. “Of course not. Disguising as you is nearly impossible anyway. Can’t have you walking around while I’m dressed as Shinichi Kudo… and you kind of make it impracticable to catch you off guard.”

The magician threw a small ball onto the ground and it exploded with a puff of smoke. As Shinichi covered his mouth to cough he saw a dark figure bolt from the cloud. He instinctively shot his arm out and caught Kid, dressed as a police officer, by the wrist. “Hold on! Y-you’re not going anywhere ye.. yet!” he whispered harshly. “Return the gem first.”

“Sorry Detective.” The next few coughs were rough as they scratched their way out of the teen’s throat, forcing him to close his eyes. “I can’t return this one just yet.”

“That’s what you said last time you idiot!” Shinichi tightened his hold as he felt Kid’s attempts to shake him off. “I’m not falling for that, especially when you haven’t…” A soft pair of lips brushed lightly against his cheek cutting his words short, heat and color rushing to his face.

“You’re not bad for a critic.” Before he had a chance to collect himself Kid had escaped his grasp, in the thief’s place was a red rose trimmed of its thorns. “I’ll see you later, my sweet Shinichi.”

“Wait!” With a wink Kid threw another smoke bomb, disappearing by the time it faded. Both the storage room’s vent and door were ajar. The detective grumbled as he exited into the hallway. While getting the jewel back was important Shinichi was much more concerned about Kid’s wellbeing and mental state. Two heavy events had happened within the same hour of each other. Surely that idiot had suspicions about himself. The task force’s reactions alone were enough to bring up questions. Shinichi had no doubt Kid would track down the missing pieces to complete the puzzle that surfaced tonight. The speculation made him nervous. Based on the magician’s reaction to Hakuba’s simple words it wouldn’t end well. Not to mention the probable trauma of that witch’s attempt at a memory rewrite…

Shinichi sighed as he walked toward the elevator, hands in his pants pockets and eyes locked forward as he replayed the night’s events. Finding a real witch in the world wasn’t that hard to comprehend however, what she said left him wondering. Other than his parents, not a living soul out there knew what he was. Yet she knew immediately. There was tons of outcomes his life could be forced into if she choose to do something with that information. Luckily, those would only come to fruition if whoever she told believed her. Not to mention having to explain how she knew in the first place while keeping what she was a secret.

He knew Kid’s soul was still present but that sliver of information she let slip opened a much needed door to the mystery. A blank slate. From their conversation in that café, Kid mentioned he only remembered heists nothing more nothing less. Specifically moments as the Magician Under the Moonlight. That last clue pointed to his previous theory being true. Whoever Kaitou Kid was, whoever his civilian identity had been, died and in death those memories faded. Whatever it was that kept Kid’s soul out of his reach, clung to the alternative personality and with the man behind Kid gone, the secondary self stepped up to the plate to continue going on.

Immense curiosity bubbled inside him. How did Kid do it? Or maybe, better yet, what were the unfortunate circumstances that allowed for it all to happen? Shinichi could ask all he wanted but Kid didn’t even know he was dead. How would he be able to answer any questions let alone push past the blank in memory from that night? He couldn’t imagine what the thief was going through on a day to day basis. To no longer have an identity to fall back on when enemies are trying to kick down the door. Constantly worrying about someone recognizing him on the street. To have no one to hide as when the shadows crept too close.

Shinichi paused in the middle of the hall as a thought occurred to him. The soul is a powerful thing. It’s part of what defines who humans are. If anything, those answers would be engraved on it and all he’d need to do was open the book and read. The harsh sound of screams crept into his mind. The process would surely be painful. That witch had been right though. Kid was an anomaly in the system. Shinichi couldn’t just go around acting like everything was fine. If nothing else he had to check Kid’s soul himself, just to make sure it was still breathing okay. His entire being was dealing with souls… Shinichi would just need to make sure he opened the book as gently as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. This chapter still makes me so nervous. It was reworked and edited so many times to make it as realistic as possible for each character. I sincerely hope it came out alright...
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	7. To Cut an Apple

To say Inspector Nakamori and Saguru Hakuba weren’t happy about Kaitou Kid escaping without any witnesses was a serious understatement. Despite the time of night, Hakuba ended up dialing the number for Kaito who was supposedly still visiting Europe. He was connected to Chikage Kuroba, Kaito’s mother. They chatted for a few minutes before he got straight to his point. The teen had apparently just returned from a short grocery shopping trip when Saguru asked about him. It seemed like too convenient timing. A ruffling sound filled the space on the other side of the line for a lot longer then the detective expected before he heard the voice of the classmate he was sure was dead. The young magician’s voice sounded off immediately, somehow more gruff, but for the sake of the conversation Hakuba kept that to himself. When the blond finally hung up his face was a mixture of confusion and high level reflecting.

Nakamori on the other hand was an unpredictable ball of depression and worry. After realizing along with everyone else that the so called ‘copycat’ was actually the real Kaitou Kid he merely slumped onto the floor without saying a word. He was already having a tough enough time dealing with the news of the death. The criminal he respected and sought to catch after 20 years cruelly ripped from his life and the world only for it to turn out to be a lie? It sure was some horrible joke. What he hadn’t understood was the thief’s own reaction. Kid didn’t appear to know what they were talking about at all. Denying his own death till the end. Then that shuddering scream… actually hurting someone let alone it being Kudo of all people given that the detective brat always received extra attention from the thief.

Everyone left in a somber silence after checking the building over for any lasting signs, many feeling uneasy as they stepped into their patrol cars. No doubt the task force was wondering what would become of the murder investigation. Since their victim was clearly alive albeit a bit off. On the way back home, Nakamori left a message for Inspector Megure and a promise to explain in greater detail the next morning despite Shinichi’s offer to do so himself. The teen watched as the man pulled away already recalling the night with a blank stare as he drove off the premise.

In the following couple days Shinichi had to deal with constant questions and trips to the station as well as nonstop nightmares. While Hakuba didn’t relinquish exact details of their phone conversation not too long ago, he did let it be known he suspected Kudo knew something no one else did. The only valid excuse that freed him from the interrogations was his need to attend his finals. Being as it was his senior year no one was completely comfortable with keeping him in the station. He was released each time with good wishes, a coffee and a small snack for brain food. The coffee he was especially grateful for with his recent inability to sleep. Mere minutes after drifting off he’d always jolt awake, the image of an innocent dying by his bloodied hands relentless in his mind. However, there was always the expectation that Shinichi would return to finish going through the officer’s questions once he had a moment of free time again.

In the end, the reaper kept quiet about his café meeting with Kid or ‘Kairen’, everything that happened after he chased the thief on his own at the heist as well as any other piece of information he hadn’t received from Hakuba. It wasn’t quite lying but it felt so odd withholding details from either division. It couldn’t be helped. A majority of the facts he knew weren’t something humans could have found out on their own. After much deliberation Inspector Megure decided to temporarily halt the Kaitou Kid murder investigation. It wasn’t put in the cold case files but more so simply on the back burner until the newest details were figured out.

Saguru Hakuba was a respected third party member of the force. There was little to no uncertainty in his witness statement of that night. However the last heist left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, Hakuba the most as he had watched the light leave the thief’s eyes. The blond was constantly trying to corner Shinichi for anything, suspecting every word that came from the fellow detective’s mouth. Both divisions still trusted Kudo yet the level of wariness around him soon became apparent.

 

* * *

Shinichi ignored the perturbed looks he received as he walked through the halls of the Beika Station to the labs. The pathway around the room was the shape of a figure eight. In the top half of the eight resided a central computer with multiple monitors that sat on a desk accompanied by an additional huge viewing screen on the wall behind it. A few meters behind the desk was a two leveled table with an extra large mug of tea, a few notepads and various chemical components on the lower level for quick tests. Along the walls sat a couple of trash barrels for different disposal needs as well as a diverse selection of shelving both warm and cold with other testing equipment.

Nezumi Kanshiki smiled brightly when he entered the forensics lab. It was nice to be greeted so warmly for once. “Kudo! Nice of you to drop by. You look terrible.” She said bubbly, noticing the dark circles forming under the teen’s eyes. She smiled nonetheless, glad the detective was able to show up despite her short notice. “Ready for some light to be shined in your dreary, death ridden life?” Without letting him say a word, she continued. “Of course you are~” She turned to the computer and began rapidly pressing the keys. “I finally managed to crack through that ridiculous encryption. Too bad for you the official report was while you were in your last finals test. So everyone else on the case has already seen it, sorry.”

The teen shrugged, stepping beside the forensics analyst so he could view all the monitors at once. He watched as a few black windows popped up on the main computer followed by rapid coding on her part. “Aaaand there! Here we go!” She slammed her ring finger on the enter key and a video feed opened on the viewing screen.

Even when Nezumi dimmed the lights, Shinichi had to squint to see. The video was slightly grainy and pitch black. In the bottom right corner was the victim’s name in clear to read white letters followed by a comma, the pound sign and the number one. It was then Shinichi noticed the victim’s name or better yet the kanji that made it up. Hatsuzaki; ‘first’, ‘new’ or ‘the beginning’. There hadn’t been any other bodies discovered with a strange incision but with the ‘#1’ on the feed it was a valid prediction of more bodies to come and the meaning behind Hoyt’s name couldn’t have been a mere coincidence. It was too perfect.

His attention was brought back to the screen as the feed began to brighten. A single faint light illuminated the scene. In the center of the video was a long rectangular low sitting table made of old, weathered oak wood beams. Neither the floor, walls nor the background was visible in the surrounding darkness. On the top of the table a man, the victim, was strapped down with thick leather buckles. His arms held high above his head by the wrists, one strapped over his neck and two more over each ankle. The man stirred, slowly becoming conscious and taking in his surroundings. Hoyt’s breathing became fast to the point of hyperventilating. He screamed, struggling furiously at his restraints. Words of confusion turned to anger and feelings of betrayal. All the while a strange whooshing noise occasionally passed over his voice on the recording. It wasn’t until his yelling gradually morphed into begging did a large blade become visible towards the top of the screen, the sharpened blade glistening in the low light. As if the murderer anticipated the realization of his future observers, the camera angle moved. It was now slightly closer with Hoyt’s body still in view but the giant axe pendulum clearly visible on its wider side.

Shinichi stepped closer to the screen as the victim’s voice grew in volume, tone becoming more and more desperate as the blade slowly inched its way toward his body. Every upswing on the far side decreased the axe’s height. The victim strapped tightly to the table struggled with the desperation of one who knew their death was mere minutes away. His cries were harrowing, tragic and cringe inducing. As the blade scrapped along the skin of the man’s stomach Nezumi lowered the volume, yet the victim’s screams of agony only increased in magnitude. On the back swing, Hoyt sucked in his stomach to save himself from another scratch merely postponing the pain as the blade lowered another inch down. On the following swing it successfully sliced through the skin and top of the muscle. The next time it came forward, the cut was millimeters off from the previous height’s set and cut deeper opening the stomach. The victim screamed, bits of the organ’s contents flew towards the camera. In his fit of pain his body moved up on the table, allowing the blade to make another cut slightly lower through part of the large intestines. Hoyt jerked back and forth, slamming his shoulders and knees repeatedly against his prison. Blood squirted out of the wounds, oozing from organs, ruptured veins, and sliced arteries. The next swing cut through his liver and dinged his pancreas. By then the victim’s breathing had increased, his body began to violently shiver and his head lolled to the side.

He laid in a pool of his own blood, streams soaking into the wooden table and dripping off the side. The blade had begun to slow, steadily stopping with the middle of the axe hiding in the hole carved into the man’s abdomen. The sound of a wheel turning and chains clinking together filled the empty space. The blade rose from the body, tip dripping with fresh and dried blood as well as various bits of bodily tissue stuck to the sides. The video feed returned to the previous angle, displaying the scene in its fullest. The expression on the victim’s face was the same as when he was found in the high school detective’s front yard. It remained for several minutes, only the sound of blood dripping off the table audible before it cut out.

Shinichi stared at the blank screen, breath caught in his throat as guilt racked his brain. For years he had seen what had become of victims afterward and on occasion he had witnessed several first hand. Watching wasn’t an issue. If he was too afraid to look, cases wouldn’t get solved and the killers would get away without any repercussions. It wasn’t Hoyt Hatsuzaki’s last moments caught on camera that made the detective feel sick. It was the lingering worry of how the life he selfishly took to save his thief ended. Had it been peaceful? Had it been painful? Did their life end bloody? Was it in front of their family or did they die alone? …had the person even been found yet?

Nezumi replaced the playback visuals with the default screensaver. She laughed despite the atmosphere. “That’s the same reaction the others had.”

Her words dragged Shinichi out of his down spiraling perturbation. He made a grunt of detached acknowledgement before lowering his hand from his mouth to instead rest it against his chin. The feed irritated him. He just watched the murder occur as if he was standing right next to the event yet he couldn’t pick out any clues apart from the conclusive evidence detailing the cause of death and murder weapon. “Are you able to enhance any of the surroundings?”

“Sadly no. I’ve already tried in several different corners of the video at various points of the film and it just comes up pitch black. Not even the computer can pick out shapes or forms within the darkness.” Her tone turned quiet as she regarded the teen’s reaction to the news. “Whoever tortured our dear friend down in the morgue willingly gave us the exact footage of his death-”

“Yet kept us completely shrouded in mystery.” Shinichi glared at the blank screen. It was a bold move on their part but they managed to play it smart. Many of the tricks of murder the teen came across in his years were clever and some were hard to piece together but this… there was nothing. No clues to go off from, no hints towards the culprit or location. They had the murder at their finger tips yet were still at a dead end. “Do you mind playing it again?”

“Sure.” Before Nezumi managed to pull the feed back up the lab phone rang. She leaned over and pressed the button for speaker. “’Yello?”

“Kanshiki? It’s Megure. Is Kudo still with you?” Hurried, hushed voices could be heard behind the sound of rushing water.

“Right here, Inspector.”

“Excellent. I need you right away, there’s been a murder. I’ll have Sergeant Takagi send you the location.” A sound click and the phone buzzed with the dial tone.

“Looks like you’re needed elsewhere.” Nezumi stepped back from the computers and picked up her giant mug, taking a sip of her tea. “Come back to review it whenever you have time.”

Shinichi threw a ‘thank you’ over his shoulder as he ran down the hall. He extracted his phone from his pocket after it buzzed, the message from Sergeant Takagi having arrived. A quick wave of a hand successfully called a taxi over. “Here please and hurry!” He showed the address in the text and within seconds the car was speeding down the street.

Making sure to leave the fair on the seat, the teen bolted from the car as soon as it pulled up on the side of the road. It was a high class, multi star hotel. Following the rug towards the entrance, there was a greeter on both sides of the double sliding gold rimmed doors. The lobby was huge with sleek, modern style furniture. Leading off from the lobby on the left were where the rooms began while the right held the kitchen and dining space. Directly across from the front doors was a long glass window with doors leading out onto the backyard patio commons. It was there that Shinichi could see Inspector Megure as well as the other responding officers from Division One. The patio had several wooden lounge chairs with equally expansive complimenting tables. Lining the windowless walls where various flower bushes already harboring early summer blooms. The space also had an elegant stone flooring with an exquisite flowing fountain in the middle ruined only by the dead body floating inside.

“Kudo, thank you for coming.” Inspector Megure greeted the now graduated high school detective as he walked under the police tape. “Reitou just began her assessment.”

Hands in pockets, Shinichi took a spot between Detective Sato and Sergeant Takagi. “-won’t know the exact time of death until we test it since the water temperature has greatly interfered with any on scene calculations.” Rin turned towards the body as two officers carefully lifted it from the water and placed it onto a tarp. “Cause of death, two quick slices along both sides of the neck cutting right through the jugulars and likely scraping up the windpipe.”

“Any witnesses?”

Detective Chiba crossed under the caution tape. “I just finished talking to the staff and interviewing a few guests. No one saw any suspicious people. A maid mentioned cutting through this area less than two hours ago and there was no body in the water. As if it just appeared.”

As Chiba explained a few other reports Shinichi pulled on a pair of gloves and stepped passed the group to examine the body. The woman seemed to be in her 60s with short brown hair and blue eyes. For a woman her age, she appeared to be quite tall and built all around. Her skin was fairly tanned, likely due to many hours in the sun. Shinichi knelt down to inspect the huge engagement ring the victim wore on her left hand. If it was a robbery murder the killer would have taken something so expensive. The neck wounds pointed to two separate cuts both starting from the back of the neck versus one V-shaped slash. Judging from the angle of how the skin was sliced the attacker was at the same height each time. It pointed to a single person. Each gash was deep, steady, quick, and crossed over one another in the front. Why go through the trouble of pausing to make that second cut if the first one was enough? “The culprit may be ambidextrous.” He gently patted the body down looking for any type of identification only to come up empty handed. The teen backed up to look into the fountain, the clear water making it easy to search the bottom. “There’s not a single drop of blood in or around this fountain.” Shinichi glanced back at the wounds. They were oddly clean of blood themselves as if the culprit took the time to wipe the blood off.

“Yes, actually, it’ll be confirmed back at the lab but I suspect Mrs. Jane Doe here is missing numerous liters of blood if n-”

“Jyunkoo!! Oh my god, Jyunko! Jyunko!” A blond haired woman approximately the same age as the victim wearing a light flowing white sundress came running onto the scene. She struggled past an officer and collapsed in Takagi’s arms, tears streaming down her face. “How could this happen…”

“M-Ma’am?” Takagi started, hoping to calm the strange woman down. Shinichi noted the same engagement ring on her finger. The woman glanced up at the officer she was crying on, grimaced, quickly glanced around and leapt for Detective Sato’s arms instead. Leaving Takagi confused and by himself with a tear soaked jacket.

It took several minutes of quiet consoling for the woman’s sobs to still before she was able to speak, let alone answer any questions. “My name is Emiko Yamura and she was my fiancé, Jyunko Suuki.” Emiko gratefully accepted a tissue offered from one of the officers. “We… we came here for a pre-wedding vacation. She h-had a thing about personally going to our future honeymoon spots and picking our favorite for after we… after we…” Sobs wracked her body again, her voice rising an octave before blowing her nose.

“Ms. Yamura, when was the last time you saw your fiancé?” The only response Megure received was an unsteady stare. He cleared his throat, motioning towards Sato who got the cue and repeated the question.

“Jyunko left this morning at 5 AM for her habitual morning run. I’m a late sleeper so I didn’t go with her… if only I had gotten up earlier she-” Emiko’s shoulders shook as she held in her tears.

“Inspector.” Shinichi piped up, joining the conversation once again. Listening to and especially watching the woman’s grieving was difficult. There were so many reasons why people killed each other. How those who lived reacted to their loved one’s death always differed. However, just because they were crying didn’t mean they were innocent. It made him question how true the emotion love was. How could someone who loved another ever justify killing them? Throughout all of the cases the teen solved, all the years he listened to the culprit’s reasons, his belief in concepts like ‘love’ darkened. “There’s another precise incision.”

“What? Incision? What do you mean!” Emiko cried, clutching Detective Sato’s jacket and keeping her in place.

Megure joined Shinichi beside the body. He made a low humming sound, holding his chin in his hand thoughtfully. “While we can’t ignore that this one might be related, it could also be unconnected.” The man replaced the fabric back over the victim’s stomach. “Reitou, see if there’s another one of _those_ inside while you’re doing the autopsy.”

“Yes, sir!” Rin paused her preparations to salute enthusiastically.

“One of what? Who killed my-”

“Excuse me, would you be able to show me where you two were staying?” Shinichi asked, stepping between the woman and Reitou before anything happened.

 

As Rin Reitou loaded the body into the van, Shinichi along with Sergeant Takagi proceeded to the instructed room Emiko and the victim were staying in as Detective Sato asked her about an alibi. The two hadn’t found any substantial evidence for or against the fiancé. The closet held many expensive foreign outfits pointing to the high class, frequent flyer Shinichi pictured the two women to be. When he opened the suite’s window, the fountain was directly below however there were no signs of tampering around the safety railings. A thin wire glistening in the late evening sun prompted him to receive a set of master keys from the front desk. It turned out to be from a floor below. The wire was connected to the railing like a pulley system. The room was marked for further investigation after wiped up blood stains were found still visible in the bathtub.

After another couple of hours the crime scene was sealed up and marked for a follow up the next morning.


	8. Original Birth Place of one Conan Edogawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit of a looong chapter this time. I had been thinking of splitting it up but there wasn't really any 'perfect place' to... so here's the entire thing.

“Come on slow poke! Hurry it up or we won’t beat the rush!” Being pulled along by the wrist wouldn’t be so bad if the other person wasn’t practically yanking his arm out of its socket. Shinichi had long stopped trying to extract his hand from his captor. Although if the pain really bothered him he could have stopped letting his feet skid along brick way.

The anger had subsided some as they ran. He was still sour from the day’s start. A bit unusual and uncouth to say the least. It wasn’t how he wanted to begin his Sunday. The previous day had been normal. Shinichi had worked on cases all day. The Medical Examiner had conference called him sometime in the afternoon with Forensics Analyst Nezumi Kanshiki as well as Inspector Megure, Sergeant Takagi and Detective Sato. The suspicious incision over the victim’s mid section was confirmed to be the same work as the pendulum victim, strange foreign object and all. Rin reported extracting the sealed SD Card from the incision point, the storage device having been used to sew the left and right kidneys together. It was a rather bloody mess she described in detail before Nezumi interrupted the conversation with her piece. There was indeed data left on the card and while the encryption was similar to the first, another layer was added that would delay the process. Since she had already cracked the walls to the original, similarities were everywhere within the code. The final estimated time of viewing the data was set for the following Tuesday, merely one day away.

Before the meeting was adjourned, Sato quickly explained the results of checking in with the first victim’s address. She had briefly spoken with the roommate still residing there but it garnered no further results or clues. Now that high school was officially over and his college of choice was set for the fall it was much easier to focus solely on detective work for the time being. Whether that was the day to day murders he encountered, the mysterious SD Card killer or Kaitou Kid. The last of which happened to be the current one taking up his precious time.

“Two please!” The woman at the entrance booth smiled, took the money and passed them two orange plastic-coated paper bracelets. Kid… or currently Kairen Mitsuru snatched up the entrance bands with excitement. In seconds the adhesive was unveiled and both were wrapped snuggly around their respective wrists. She waved them off as they rushed into the Dream and Fairytale Land section of the park.

“Oh! Here, let’s go on this!” Kairen exclaimed, suddenly halting in her mad dash causing her captive to almost slam against her side.

The other teen reluctantly followed her gaze. “A carousel?” He asked between a yawn, wondering if she was serious. “Isn’t this more for little kids?”

Kairen intertwined their fingers, being extra careful about touching the back palm. The bandages were minimal as the gash had all but healed at that point but she was still overly conscious about it. She swallowed her guilt for the time being and heavily leaned against the detective. “Come on, we’re on a date~” She shifted to whisper into his ear. “Someone’s going to snatch me away if you keep ignoring me like this…”

Shinichi could feel heat rising to his cheeks. “D-d-date?! When did this become a date!” Despite his irritation he made no attempts to separate their hands. “You dragged me from my bed this morning, dressed me and I woke up on the bus ride over!” There were a couple of things off before he even opened his eyes that morning. He was sitting upright, something warm was pressed against the side of his face and he felt the vibrations of an engine through his seat. With paranoia setting in he had slowly opened one eye to inspect his surroundings only to find himself riding a bus with a certain thief whose shoulder he was apparently using as a pillow. “Excuuuse me if I’m a little tired. My already horrible sleep schedule was interrupted by a certain someone.”

He had been pleasantly surprised to find a normal pair of jeans, a plain yellow tee shirt and a gray button down light jacket with two breast pockets and sleeves already rolled up to his elbows. Meanwhile Kid was in his female disguise the detective saw back when they talked at that hole in the wall café. Except this time that ginger hair was pulled back into a slightly intricate, flowing ponytail near the base of the neck. The dress was a black and white plaid. The sleeves were ruffled and came together in a V-shape at the bottom of the sternum in both the front and the back. Behind it was a strip of black fabric that wrapped around the body just high enough to cover any cleavage. The plaid ended towards the top of the thigh in a long, two inch ruffle with another ruffle in black extending the dress to mid thigh. The disguise was complete with brown double crisscrossing strapped high heels as well as see-through white lace gloves that tied at the wrist with a little ribbon.

The only response Shinichi received was a triumphant grin. “Specifics, detective, specifics.” The thief cleared his throat. “Besides, all you do is work! You need some fun once in awhile. I know you’ve been having a rough time.” He said, gesturing to the other amusement park rides.

“If you’re going to force me to spend the day with you,” Although ‘forcing’ was a bit strong. Really, if Kid just knocked on his door and asked there probably would have been much less resistance. “Why do you have to be in such a full body disguise…?” Even with the lack of contact lenses he knew it wasn’t Kid’s real face. Sure, he could still picture the thief underneath but it wasn’t the same.

“I told you… without a disguise it’s like I’m walking around as you-know-who.”

“Only I would know. It’s not like anyone would recognize you as _him_ without your flashy white garb.”

“That’s not the point, detective.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two before Kairen piped up again. “Let’s go to the castle first,” She gestured to the building in the distance while already beginning to walk towards it, their hands still held together. “We can plan our base of attack from the observation deck.” Shinichi let himself be pulled along, putting up less of a hassle then earlier. He still felt a bit uncomfortable with the whole thing. Normally the reaper wouldn’t be able to spend so much time in one place. Then again, whenever Kaitou Kid was around not a single body fell in his footsteps.

 

* * *

 

They were able to see the entire park from the top of the castle. Kairen had pointed enthusiastically to several locations throughout all fives zones of the amusement park before Shinichi caved into the inevitable and began participating in the decisions. If he was going to be here all day, he might as well enjoy himself… and he was with Kaitou Kid, who better to make the experience interesting than him?

Despite Shinichi’s apprehensiveness towards it, the two traveled to Horror and Fantasy Land first. For trying to get him away from the death and horrors of his work their current destination seemed a bit counter-productive. The architecture shifted once they entered the zone. All the street lamps changed into smiling gray jack-o-lanterns and the signs grew darker, many of which featured the stereotypical ghost over a green background.

The death god glanced at their hands for what must have been the hundredth time before looking back at his companion. He felt uneasy. As if any second now Kid would succumb to death. If the magician was suffering at all he was certainly hiding it well under that smile. Typically after the five minute mark if a human was still in contact with him their life thread would decay and soon begin to disintegrate. Kid’s seemed fine, as if completely untouched or unfazed. Keeping his hopes down and under control was difficult. For whatever reason, the thief was immune to the reaper’s cursed abilities. Maybe there was a chance…

Shinichi’s eyes flicked up to meet a pair of indigo ones. “…what?” Kid was looking at him expectantly. Crap… had the thief been talking?

Kairen giggled as if she had caught the detective red handed. “I said, want to go here?” They had stopped walking in front of an iron gate with brick columns on either end. On top of each column sat a gargoyle holding a pitch fork. In the middle of the arch was a sign that read ‘Mysterious House’. Behind the gate sat a huge three story brick mansion with various stone accents along the corners and rim of the blue roof. A horror themed area couldn’t be complete without a haunted house.

He didn’t try to hide the slump in his shoulders. “You just think this is hilarious don’t you?”

The blazing sun faded to a dim shadow as they stepped into the tunnel leading to the house. “A paranoid detectivein a haunted house where people constantly try to jump out and scare you? Of course!”

There turned out to be four other couples in their group, one particular pair of which jumped at every little thing that moved. The interior of the mansion had a typical old-time wallpaper that had started to crumble and peel. The floors consisted of dirty carpet with various stains to appear more creepier. Only about half of the light fixtures they passed flickered although ultimately they were all relatively dull. Kairen held onto Shinichi’s upper arm and flinched at appropriate times, occasionally letting out a small yelp. Shinichi had no doubt it was just to keep up the disguise because every time he looked at the thief’s face there was a mischievous grin. Somehow, without letting the detective go, Kid managed to add his own touch to the tour claiming it wasn’t nearly as scary as it could be. During the quiet lull moments between staged scares, he could hear the magician making eerie noises in a range of different tones to increase the ominous atmosphere. It took all of his willpower not to burst out laughing when a particular sound erupted from Kid’s mouth, causing all the other couples tostart. When the jumpy pair bolted down the hallway screaming Shinichi couldn’t stop his shoulders from shaking. By the time they reached an octagonal room with an oval shaped picture of a talking skeleton Shinichi was participating in the magician’s antics.

Spectators exchanged whispers and confused glances as they watched the latest Mysterious House tour group exit the building onto the walkway. The terrified looks on the first four couples who left made the conversations buzz.

“Yoo, check them out, they’re all shaking!”

“You think they upped the ante?”

“Nah, look at that last pair. The guy looks unfazed.”

“Nahh, maybe he’s just not easily scared. Everyone else is trembling.”

“I’d go through that house if it made my girlfriend cling to me with that kind of smile.” A few people approached the other four couples inquiring about what changes had been made and what were the scariest parts. While people lined up for the haunted house, Shinichi and Kairen skillfully weaved through the crowd before anyone had a chance to ask them as they were positive they’d burst into laughter immediately.

The two eventually made their way to the Ice and Mist Labyrinth. With another angle to view the park spotting other rides was much easier. After riding the cart down to the bottom, Kairen tugged on Shinichi’s sleeve. “Before we head to the next area, do you mind if I use the bathroom real quick?” Confused and frankly, a bit skeptical, he gave a slow nod. “Great! I spotted one nearby while we were up there.”

Around the second corner sat a restroom off to the side of a variety of different vendors. “Wait outside for me?” She asked a bit too sweetly with a shoulder roll.

Shinichi coughed out an embarrassed, “s-sure…” as he watched Kid enter the woman’s side. He decided to stand at the end of where the concrete began for the public building. Yes it could just be a normal trip to the bathroom but the detective in him didn’t completely trust Kid not to pull a prank or cause some kind of chaos. As he waited people entered and exited from each side in a timely manner. Shinichi glanced down at his watch a few times while checking the surroundings for anything unusual. After eight minutes passed the thin veil of suspicion solidified.

When he pivoted around to rapidly scan the crowd he felt a tap on his shoulder. “Sorry, did I keep you waiting long?”

“Um…” The smile on her face kept him from blurting out an answer. “It wasn’t that bad.” Shinichi cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, a little guilty for assuming the worst when Kid was the one who invited him here. If the thief wanted to escape from his sight at all then there wasn’t much point in dragging him along in the first place. “Honestly, I thought you gave me the slip.”

Just as expected Kairen laughed, slapping the detective on the back. “No, no. I had to adjust some things.” She patted her chest once and Shinichi had no desire to hear more.

“O-okay well if you’re set, shall we…?” Kairen took her previous place beside the detective, wrapped around his arm. Without even thinking Shinichi found himself intertwining their fingers earning a big smile from his companion.

Jumping around the park a bit, they watched the next showing at the Water Fountain Plaza before doubling back to Wild and Ancient Land. The first ride they went on was the Volcano River Rapids. Shinichi had moved them around in the line to make sure they were in the same group of six for a single boat and managed to get a pair of seats next to each other in the crowded line. At one point it was bobbing through the water enough for Kairen to bump into the reaper a little.

Immediately following another ride they walked by a fried dough stand neither could pass up. It didn’t require much discussion before they settled on splitting a single piece. Just one plate was a lot. Shinichi’s eyes locked on Kid’s hand as it inched towards the powdered sugar. The sigh of relief morphed into a panicked yelp as three shakes turned into the magician unscrewing the top and popping it off. “That’s enough! That’s enough! At least keep it to your half!” Shinichi lunged for the container, swiping it out of the thief’s hands. He flipped it around thrice before slamming it back onto the counter. “Ha. Ha. Very funny.”

“I t-thought it was.” Kid managed between his laughter. He removed the clear film from the opening and replaced the lid.

Picking an empty picnic table, the two sat beside one another with the dough between them. They took turns eating it, talking on various topics all the while. It was nice. Not rushing around or worrying about the police or cases. Just being able to sit and relax with nothing going on was something Shinichi didn’t realize he needed until it was happening.

“Want the rest?” Shinichi asked, already pushing the paper plate towards the other.

“Nah. You finish it. You need all the food in your system that you can get.” Shinichi watched with a frown as the dough was forced into his hands. “I know you barely eat as it is.” Kid added, crossing his arms and glaring at the detective from the corner of his eye.

Shinichi opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it as he had to remind himself who he was dealing with. Kid spying on him wasn’t exactly a new concept in his mind. Besides, there wasn’t anything he could have said to help his case. With a defeated sigh Shinichi bit into the dough. The middle was thin and hard making eating the rest in one go difficult. As he was awkwardly chewing, something moved in his peripheral vision. A soft touch on his chin pulled his head to the side where he became face to face with Kid. If he wasn’t being held in place Shinichi would have flinched back several feet. Instead he stilled, trying not to focus on the fire burning his cheeks as the magician leaned in. There was a slight tug on the dough sticking out of his mouth as the thief ripped off a small bite. The rest practically fell out of Shinichi’s mouth as he watched Kid retreat a few inches, chew and swallow his steal and proceed to lick the powdered sugar lips, eyes never leaving Shinichi’s.

His heart beat twice before he managed to collect himself. “W-w-what was that!”

“Hmm? Oh nothing…” Kairen shrugged innocently but with a guilty smirk. “Just changed my mind is all.” This thief was going to be the death of him.

 

* * *

  

The robotic creatures featured on the river cruise were cool and the background scenery was okay. None of it garnered the detective’s attention as much as the head resting upon his shoulder for the entire ride. Acting like a loving girlfriend was probably part of the day’s disguise but it still made the detective’s heart flutter.

Three rides full of nauseating spinning, huge sudden drops towards the ground and a memory inducing pendulum later the two took a break to wander through the vendors. Kairen ordered and paid for two ice creams on a spur of the moment; chocolate chocolate chip and mocha. As they ate their respective cones a vendor on their right caught Kairen’s attention. Within the next second the magician’s ice cream was in Shinichi’s hand and she was kneeling beside a little girl. Upon closer inspection, the girl was on her last ring for the goldfish ring toss. Kairen leaned over, pointing to a specific jar in question. The child shook her head, pointing to a different bottle within the circular tub at a difficult angle beside the edge. Both teens watched as the girl took aim and threw. The ring looped around the lip of her desired target before falling to the side and dropping between the containers. She clenched the hem of her dress, her shoulders rising and tears coming to her eyes. Kairen pulled the girl into a quick hug, whispering something into her ear. “Sir, a set please?”

Shinichi stayed back and observed with a trained eye. Carnival games like these were set up to be rigged. While he had no interest in ratting the thief out for cheating, he still wanted to see how he was going to go about it. Kairen examined the target from where the girl had been trying, gliding her fingers along the ring. When she threw it, it just missed the neck and landed a few inches further to the side. She repeated the actions twice more from angles 180 degrees apart. “That’s your last ring ma’am, sure you don’t want your boyfriend to get it?” Kairen ignored the vendor and returned to the girl’s side. She gave the child a wink before tossing the ring. In the briefest moment, Shinichi thought he saw it hit something in the air before it rolled and fell down the bottle’s neck. The girl jumped for joy while the vendor stared in disbelief. A minute later the man reluctantly presented the magician with a goldfish. “… Here’s your prize, miss.”

“Thank you,” she said just to be polite.

The bag swiftly landed in the girl’s hand. She beamed, holding it close to her chest. “Thank you so much, big sister!”

Kairen’s eyes followed the girl as she walked away and quickly joined her parents at a nearby picnic table. She gave the vendor one last smile before turning and taking back her ice cream. “Ready to go?”

A few meters away Shinichi subtly glanced back. “Don’t you need to get your wires?”

“Nah. They’re spider web thin. They broke with that last ring. Even if he does find them, I only cheated because he cheated.”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know what you expected. I’m not exactly the best example of a law abiding citizen in the first place.”

 

* * *

  

“Step right up folks, step right up! … You there!” The loud man shoved his finger in front of Shinichi’s face as he was beginning to walk by, rendering ignoring the vendor impossible. “Step up and try your hand at the Knights In Armor Shooting Gallery!”

“No, I’m alrigh-”

“Nonsense!” The man swung his arm around the teen shoulder’s, effectively pulling him out of the other’s arms. “Don’t you want to try to win a prize for your girl?” He playfully shook his captive’s shoulder while glancing and nodding his head towards the girl he was with. “Don’t worry, it’s easy. Why don’t you give it shot?” Much to the teen’s discomfort the vendor held him closer to whisper in his ear. “Maybe she’ll _really_ appreciate it later if you know what I mean.”

Shinichi suppressed a groan at the sexist comment but failed to hide the disgust on his face. He hesitated to glance over at his companion. Kairen had her arms crossed and weight shifted to one foot. She shrugged. “…okay?”’

“Fantastic! The name’s Kota, come on over!” The man dragged the teen over to the table with the girl following not far behind. The game was a typical shooting gallery fairgrounds game. The decorations followed the theme of a princess locked in a castle needing to be rescued. The art for the knights was bulky and burly while in contrast the princess was slender and big breasted. “500 yen for 5 shots.” He gestured to the stuffed animals hanging right above the table. “Here’s the prizes you can choose from if you score. The ones on the left are for one hit and down the line are for perfect scores of five out of five hits.” The first ones he pointed to were small, pocket sized creatures you’d expect to find only in a zoo. As eyes traveled to the other side of the overhang where the plush dolls got bigger and bigger. When Shinichi’s eyes landed on the last prize in the row he almost choked. Kairen had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing.

The detective pulled out the money and placed it on the table. When the amount for another round was deposited beside his he looked up to the magician who had taken a spot beside him. “Call it insurance. There is no way I’m letting you leave here without that.”

“I’m sorry, girl. But this is a man’s game. You wouldn’t be able to hit even the edge of the closest target.” Kota pocketed the fees. “But I’ll gladly take your money if you want to prove me right.”

Without missing a beat Shinichi stepped away from the booth and held out his hand. “Give our money back. We’re leaving.” Kota frowned, adamant in his stance.

Kairen tugged on the fabric of Shinichi’s sleeve. “Let’s play anyway. Not trying at all won’t be as good at shoving his foot into his mouth as winning those top prizes will be.” She flashed a wicked grin and he conceded.

With the sickening confident smile the vendor wore, Shinichi picked up the toy gun. The cord attached to the hilt restricted a lot of movement. Calculations on the gun and possible areas a target could pop up buzzed in his mind. Kota switched on the game and stepped off to the side. The first shot hit near the edge of the target but it was still enough. From there the next four shots connected dead center.

“Congratulations, kid!” An arm swept over the booth, “Pick a prize, you scored an excellent near perfect. Choose whatever you’d like!” Reluctant and quite embarrassed inside, Shinichi pointed to the single Kaitou Kid doll on the far side of selection. The vendor frowned, clearly annoyed at his most aimed for and top prize was finally won. “You guys a fan of him then…?” He asked as he climbed a stepping stool to get the doll down.

Shinichi cleared his throat. “Not exactly...”

“Surely you follow his activities then? I sure hope I’m not letting this guy go to someone who barely knows the famous Magician Under the Moonlight.”

“You could say I do.”

“No need to be modest, Shinichi.” Kairen piped up in a _tell him who he’s dealing with_ kind of way.

“Shinichi? As in that famous high school detective, Shinichi Kudo?”

“That’s right. The same one who always manages keep up with Kid.” The vendor gulped, suddenly regretting his earlier actions. Less so doing it and more that he made the mistake of insult the teen’s girlfriend in front of him. Any remorse still left on Kota’s features morphed into confusion as he thought more on the revelation. One particular question coming to the forefront of his mind. If the boy was trying to put the thief behind bars why was he choosing the Kaitou Kid doll versus something else? “Guess I’m up!” Kairen shouted, picking up the gun as Shinichi stepped back his arms occupied by one of the better caricatures of the magician’s alter ego.

The switch was flipped and the game began. She made a show of pretending to not know anything about firearms, prompting the vendor to take pity. “Girl, you’re disgracing the firearm holding it like that…” Kota stepped forward with arms raised in hopes of correcting the cringe inducing grasp she had on the weapon only to pause when an air of seriousness enveloped her. Five shots were fired in quick succession, all hitting dead center on the smallest and most distant targets. Winning chimes played after the last kill. Kota’s jaw dropped and he stuttered unable to form proper words.

“That wasn’t so hard. I’m sorry,” She faced the vendor with a triumphant smirk. “What was it I wouldn’t be able to do?”

Shinichi laughed quietly to himself as Kota continued to stumble over incoherent syllables. “C-congr…. Pl-please sele.. select your prize…. Miss…” Kairen picked the next largest stuffed toy from the row, a giant pink bunny that, if on the ground, would come up to half her height not including the ears. She threw out a polite thank you, sly smile and all as the two left the shooting gallery behind.

As they passed the first corner neither were able to hold it in anymore and they lost it. “Did you see his face! Priceless, I swear!”

Their laughter died down to a low shoulder shaking snicker. Shinichi inhaled a long breath still clutching his sides. He wiped the beginnings of a tear from the corner of his eye as he watched Kairen walk towards the nearest child in their vicinity. He followed behind, lagging a few steps.

Kairen knelt down to the boy’s level and held the bunny out. “Hey, kid, do mind taking this off my hands?”

At first, the boy beamed as he reached out. Once his hands felt the soft material his smile faltered. “But don’t you want your bunny, miss?”

She eased the stuff animal into the kid’s arms, lightly ruffling his hair before standing upright. “It’s alright,” She stepped next to Shinichi and wrapped her arms around his, leaning against his shoulder. “I’ve got all I want right here.” Her voice sang as she snuggled into him.

For an awkward amount of time the boy just stared at them in utter confusion. He was a bit too young to understand what Kairen was implying. Shinichi was a thrown for a bit of a loop by the words to react adequately. After awhile the boy hugged his new bunny close and shouted an enthusiastic, “Thank you!” before running off.

Shinichi on the other hand, was left holding a Kaitou Kid doll in one arm while the real Kid held onto his other. The boy ran out of sight and the two continued down the row of vendors. His heart beat three times before the silence was broken. “One more ride before getting something to eat sound good to you? You can even pick.”

“Sure but… I don’t exactly want to walk around with this though…” Shinichi answered, albeit a little embarrassed, and extracted his shooting gallery prize from under his arm. “Bit hard to carry it onto a ride I’m sure.” Taking it as an excuse to avoid another ride, the magician stepped aside and took the doll from the detective. Kid held it in one hand, snapped his fingers and, starting from the top, slowly moved his arm down the length of the plush. Shinichi kept his jaw in place but couldn’t stop the confusion from settling onto his face as he watched that doll disappear inch by inch. He even leaned left and right to figure out how the thief was doing it. He didn’t even have any sort of pockets to hide it! Kid was in a dress for Pete’s sake! “W-where the hell did you put it?!”

“You’ll find it waiting back at home.” Kid just laughed as Shinichi patted the thief down in search of some sort of answer to the madness. The magician twitched and moved under the detective’s hands, more so in some areas then others. “Hey, hey, watch it. I’m not totally disarmed here…” The thief took a half step back and Shinichi gulped. He felt lucky already that he didn’t set any weapons or tricks off from whatever Kid was apparently carrying. “And if you don’t mind people are starting to stare.” The detective glanced around, a faint blush rising to the surface when he realized what he was doing. There was no possible way for that doll to physically move locations without _something_. It was going to drive Shinichi crazy thinking about how it and whether it’s actually in his house or not. Logistically speaking that’d be impossible. All magician’s had their own special tricks up their sleeves but there were always the moments where Kid managed to almost make him believe in real magic.

 

* * *

 

As it turned out Shinichi ended up choosing a roller coaster for the last ride before dinner. It more went to Kid pointing and nudging to every single one they passed until he picked one. When he had finally settled on the steel coaster Kid’s demeanor took an odd turn. He respected Shinichi’s choice and didn’t protest… exactly… However the detective couldn’t help but notice how the thief’s grip on his arm tightened as they got closer or how the magician seemed to be mumbling something nervously under his breath. Even seated in the second to last car he thought his arm was going to lose circulation. Nails dug into his skin through the fabric as the coaster clicked up the first and highest incline. He had no idea the thief’s voice could reach that octave and remain in character. Before the last upside-down loop Shinichi managed to pry Kid’s hand from the safety bar. Only to betray that trust, as the thief had accused him of, and raised their arms above their heads.

When it finally came to a stop, Kid rushed off the coaster and collapsed on the closest bench near the exit. “Did it really make you feel that sick?” Shinichi asked, sitting beside the thief and rubbing his back. “I guess I’m more curious, if that made you sick how do you use your hang glider without this sort of consequence?”

He heard a groan before anything else. “It’s not the same…” Kid adjusted to hold the top of his head. For a split second Shinichi thought he saw the thief wince at the touch. Kid hadn’t hit his head the entire day. Could it be a phantom pain? “It’s less nausea and more… unease?”

 

* * *

 

As ‘retribution’ for the betrayal of trust on the roller coaster, Kid saw it was fit to pick the dinner restaurant himself. The one he selected was more than a little out of the way. The two even walked through a restaurant heavy area of the park, many of which featured various kinds of seafood, and the thief barely glanced at any. Shinichi would point out one or two to which the only reply he received was, “No… somewhere else…” Yet the first non-fish related place they came across Kid declared “That one!” As if it had been the original one he intended all along. It could have very well been the case. But it was doubtful. Maybe the magician had had seafood a lot the previous few days and was sick of it. It tended to be expensive so that could have been a reason. Or perhaps there was a completely different explanation the detective didn’t have enough information to deduce himself.

They were quickly seated at a nice spot outside on the back patio dining area. Compared to what he had imagined, dinner was rather uneventful in a good way. The food was much better than expected and the two shared a pleasant conversation during their wait. It was as if the respective titles they bore didn't matter in the slightest. It was just two friends having a nice dinner together. The only thing that interrupted that image for something more were the occasional ‘casual’ brushes against his leg.

With full stomachs the typical rides were out of the question. Their constant spinning and lurching in this way or that had the two skirting by for the calmer less bile inducing activities. They arrived back in Dream and Fairytale Land with an hour before the fireworks started. After asking an employee they traveled to Tropical Iceland, said to be a great place to view the show. Everything was going fine until Kid stepped onto the ice.

"What do you mean you can't get up?" Shinichi asked, his arms crossed and head tilted to the side as he watched Kid's futile attempts to get back on his feet. The detective watched as Kid slid on his butt towards the edge, clinging to it on shaking legs as he pulled himself up. “Great. Now come back over here?”

Shinichi held out his hand and Kid merely stared at it. He frowned, took a determined step and began to slip. “Stop laughiiiing!” He groaned as he grasped the edge of the rink.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” Shinichi subtly covered his remaining smile and repressed the urge to laugh harder at the site before him. Seeing Kid being so terribly _bad_ at something, even if it was just ice skating, broke the perfect image of the invincible thief. He’d always said ‘Kid’s just a normal human’ but this was certainly a rare moment. He couldn’t _not_ enjoy it.

“I’ll uh… I’ll just stay here and watch.” Kid muttered, shimmying along the railing a few feet.

Shaking his head, Shinichi skated over and silently took the magician’s hands in his. He slowly backed up, keeping his arms as steady as possible as he gently extracted the thief from the border. Kid’s face contorted to a mixed range of fear, confusion, nervousness and uncertainty. For a guy who performed the tricks he did during heists Shinichi couldn’t believe how unstable he was on the ice. Even with the roller skating story from Nakamori coming to mind. Nevertheless, with a soft smile he guided the thief to the middle. Kid had a death grip on his arms and he was okay with that. When he’d lose balance Shinichi would right them or catch the magician before he fell.

Lights were dimmed within the hour, replaced with the park’s night time illumination. The change was soon followed by the start of the night's fireworks. Shinichi guided them to an open spot along the edge for the show. A smile crept onto his lips when, halfway through, Kid leaned against him and he couldn't help intertwining their fingers. More than once he glanced over to the magician. Watching how the light from the explosions lit up his features in the dark.

The show ended with the two in a serene mood, both glad to be in the presence of the other. Leaving the ice rink behind, they moved on through the gathering crowd. To their left a parade had begun on the main stretch. They paused for only a moment before Shinichi felt a tug on his hand and they continued weaving between other groups.

It was going to be final ride and last activity of the night. With most other park attendees preoccupied with the parade the line for the Ferris Wheel was nonexistent. After they boarded their gondola, the ride employee flipped the switch long enough to bring the next empty car around. The two sat on opposite sides in a delicate silence with Kairen gazing out the window frame and Shinichi idly tapping his fingers together. Every few seconds he’d glance up at the thief long enough to observe how the soft shadows fell on his form and how his own heart sped up at the sight. His eyes never lingered long, instead opting to stare at the floor as he waited for his pulse to stop rushing in his ears.

The Ferris Wheel shifted, bringing their gondola near the top to allow access to the last few open pods. From the height alone the air felt colder. Without any buildings or tents the cool breeze brushed through the cars. A slight movement caught his eye, one he almost missed. Shinichi lifted his head as Kairen shifted, moving her hands from her lap to the front of her stomach. One… two heartbeats pounded against his chest before he reacted. Without saying a word, Shinichi removed his jacket, breathed on the sleeves and held it out. There was a moment’s pause. “Take it. You’re cold, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m alright. Thank you though…” She gently pushed the article back.

“Kid. You’re in a dress. Just take it.” Shinichi leaned forward offering it again.

“… are you sure?” Shinichi answered by guiding the jacket into Kairen’s hesitant outstretched hand. She promptly put it on, buttoning it up and rolling down the sleeves. “You won’t get cold?” She asked behind a few loose strands of hair. He waved it off. Disguise or not, seeing Kid practically snuggle down into his coat made his pulse jump. Judging from the heat rising to his cheeks he’d be fine for the rest of the night. “Thanks.”

Kairen closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Shinichi twiddled his thumbs for only a few seconds before he couldn’t take the quiet anymore. It wasn’t that he hated it but more so that he didn’t want to think about his racing heart. Contemplating and sorting out what he wasn’t even sure he was feeling was sure to take a while. The detective cleared his throat. “You know…” He started, nervously rubbing the back of his head as he saw Kairen look up at him. “Despite how I acted this morning… I’m actually really glad you dragged me out.”

“Sure thing,” that signature, confident Kid grin was back. “I knew you needed some sort of fun in your life.”

“It was appreciated…. But don’t take that as a go ahead to abduct me from my house again. Don’t even try to convince me you weren’t considering it. I know you.”

Kid raised his hands in defeat. “Fine. You caught me.” Those words seemed to stray in the air. Three words Shinichi didn’t exactly expect to hear from the thief. “Oh! That’s right. Actually, speaking of _not_ getting caught…” Shinichi furrowed his eyebrows. Dozens of possible actions Kid could have done ran through his mind as he watched the magician reach into Shinichi’s own coat pocket. In context to the thief’s words the only moment when Shinichi wasn’t with him was… A few seconds of fumbling later Kid gave up and stood to reach deeper into the jacket. As soon as he did so, the Ferris Wheel began turning, causing the passenger car to lurch forward. Any accusations about to fly out of Shinichi’s mouth were swallowed in place of a sharp inhale.

He just barely managed to catch the magician as he fell. The two were frozen for a shared heartbeat. Kid looked up, their eyes locking with each other’s for a breath before clearing his throat and returning to the other end of the gondola. “Um… I lied earlier, I didn’t need to adjust anything. I just needed to get away from you in order to buy.” From within a pocket that Shinichi could have sworn was empty when he passed it to the shivering thief, Kid pulled out Shinichi’s own phone. The detective’s eyes narrowed at the sight, suspicions hot on the tip of his tongue. “Relax, I didn’t prank call anyone.” He countered, handing the cell over.

As soon as it was in Shinichi’s hands he noticed a miniature cartoon version of Death on a strap. It had a cutesy white skull, black robe and even came with a small scythe. The clasp keeping it on the strap also had a small charm of a four leaf clover that almost seemed as though it didn’t originally belong with it. He tried not to laugh at the irony. Despite Kid’s reassurance, he couldn’t help check his recent messages. Having found nothing worthy of suspicion he rolled the character between his fingers for a closer inspection. “Thank you…” He smiled as he gazed at it, the little trinket growing on him already. It certainly fit him well. A small voice in the back of his head wondered if Kid _really_ knew. If he did, he certainly wasn’t blunt about it but all the subtle hints weren’t lost.

“How did you get the money for all of this?” He asked innocently, slipping the phone into his pocket as their gondola passed the exit and continued up in the circle.

“Hey, I’m nothing if not a gentleman. I didn’t go around robbing banks, it was all earned fair and square. I’ll pick up some random part-time job every few weeks. Always a different name each time.” Sliding to the edge of the seat, Kid started counting on his fingers. “I’ve been a carpenter, a general handyman, a construction worker, a maid… basically you name it I’ve done it. Or at least plan on it.”

Shinichi scoffed. “I highly doubt you ‘randomly’ pick them. You always have some hidden agenda or reason for what you do.”  Shinichi leaned forward, taking Kid’s hand in his own and turning it palm up. Whether they were chosen for a specific purpose or not switching jobs so often made sense. In fact it was necessary. The ones already mentioned had the chance to be fairly short lived to begin with meaning less personal paperwork and a more paid volunteer kind of process. It’d be a bit difficult to apply for a longer lasting, stable job without a valid identity.

“I have to have an ‘in’ somehow.” There was a pause as Shinichi inspected Kid’s hand. “What, are you going to guess the last job I did with that hand trick of yours?” The magician laughed at the detective who was already deep in analytical thought. At the sight of Shinichi beginning to undo the ribbon of his glove, the thief’s senses tipped towards overdrive. He couldn’t help but panic and try to pry his hand away. “W-what are you-!”

“Trust me.” Was all the detective said for an explanation and it was all that was needed. Kid reluctantly relaxed his hand and let Shinichi remove the glove completely. The magician’s hands were shaking ever so slightly until Shinichi smoothed his thumb gently across the skin. He slowly dragged his thumb in soft circles over the palm, applying pressure where it counted and watching for a reaction. After eliciting a minor flinch from the heel of the palm, Shinichi continued down the thumb and across the individual digits. He moved the tips of his fingers over and around every curve of Kid’s skin, as if he was creating his own personal map. One that, in the back of his subconscious, he hoped he would have the opportunity to finish later.

The Ferris Wheel slowed to a stop, their own car coming to a halt right past the highest point. “What do you see?” The magician’s voice was soft, low, and endearing.

“You have healing bruises just above your wrist as well as on the tips of your fingers,” he began as he carefully bent back Kid’s ring finger. “Likely caused by a constant pressure, repeated contact or both.”

“Anything else?” That voice, the one Shinichi knew wasn’t anyone else’s but Kid’s, washed over him with every syllable.

“Your joints feel stiff in particular positions.” The detective flipped the palm over to the back, leaving feather light touches all along the skin, sending just barely noticeable shivers up Kid’s arm. “Your fingers have a slight discoloring to them. Perhaps from continued exposure to different temperatures.”

“And?” Heat rose to the reaper’s cheeks as he finally glanced up. Kid was leaning over the space until they were mere inches apart. Shinichi could feel the magician’s warm breath against him.

“You were a waiter.” He stated simply.

“Certain high class restaurants pay really well.” Kid slowly twisted his hand out of the detective’s grasp in order to better interlace their fingers. “Last few weeks, from dawn until dusk.”

Shinichi’s words caught in this throat as he watched Kid lean closer until their foreheads touched. “….w-why?” His voice sounded so small to his own ears.

The magician’s eyes closed as he inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. His breath smelled of sweet chocolate. “I wanted to spend a day with you.” There was a silence only intruded by a heart beating in Shinichi’s ears before Kid spoke up again. “I wanted to treat you.”

“But-”

Kid tilted his head slightly, cooing a quiet _shh_. “It was worth it.” Shinichi could feel a gentle touch on his knee as Kid shifted his weight forward. “For you, it’ll always be worth it.” With every word the thief’s voice lowered an octave. Time felt irrelevant. The only indication of it was the ever increasing speed of Shinichi’s own heart in his chest as their body heat bounced between them. He closed his eyes when a warm breath washed over his lips and began closing the-

From within Shinichi’s pocket his cell’s ringtone blared. Both teens flinched from the abrupt noise. The detective gulped. “I should probably get that…”

“They can wait, can’t they?” Kid whispered back against his lips.

“… it could be a murder…” At that, Kid backed off allowing Shinichi the space to fumble with answering the call. Before opening it he checked the caller ID. If it was some random caller he’d be pissed… “It’s Inspector Megure…”

Shinichi glanced up in a silent question. “Go ahead…”

With confirmation, Shinichi reluctantly answered the call. As he flipped the phone open he couldn’t help but wonder if Megure was calling to say they found a body, some random victim killed in an inhuman way. There was no guarantee whoever it was even lived nearby but the thought still haunted him. He heard what Megure was saying but listening was a different story. All he could concentrate on was the overwhelming burning of his face as the realization of what almost just happened crashed down. He hadn’t been thinking about it at the time but as the Inspector kept going on about already known details of the recent cases Shinichi couldn’t help but tap his finger in annoyance. He snuck a peek from under his bangs at Kid. The thief looked lost in his own mind.

The rustling of fabric garnered his attention. “Shinichi…?” The detective let Kid lower the phone from his ear. He could hear Megure beginning to ask who else was there before Kid closed the cell. The thief’s shoulders were tense as he exhaled a shaking breath. “About my last heist… " Kid closed his eyes for a moment as if gathering his own composure. “I’m… dead… aren’t I?” Shinichi’s eyes widened at the question, his breath caught in his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are plenty more fluff filled chapters on the way.
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! I may not reply to them all but I do read them and they always make me excited to continue writing!


	9. It's a Start

“Kid-”

“Please don’t lie to me.” Shinichi swallowed the excuse hot on his tongue. “You can’t deny the task force’s reaction. The Inspector and Hakuba were mortified at my continued existence. It’s true, isn’t it, Death?” Kid locked his gaze with the detective’s. “I’m not supposed to be alive, am I?”

In the silence that followed the Ferris Wheel began turning through its last rotation before the end. “I don’t-” He began before his voice faltered. How was he going to deflect this… was that even possible? Now that it’s finally come up, it didn’t feel right to keep leading the magician on and avoiding the issue. “You were awake when that witch-”

“Tried to rewrite my mind?” Shinichi nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, I was aware.” He wasn’t sure what was more surprising; the fact that someone actually found out or that the information was being taken completely seriously. Any evidence to support the speculation could easily be chalked up to coincidence yet Kid wasn’t even asking for clarification. As if he was just told the sky is blue.

Shinichi clenched his fists as fear crept into the back of his head. This was Kaitou Kid he was dealing with not some deranged sorceress. Not only does the thief have no one to tell there wasn’t much to do with the information. The man had his own secrets to keep. Shinichi had no doubt Kid would merely lock this new one away in his personal vault. However, the thought of someone else knowing still made him nervous. He felt incredibly vulnerable. His eyes glanced down at the cell phone charm. “S-so what now?”

“Excuse me, Sir? Ma’am? I’m going to need you to exit the car so we can let the others off after you.” The ride operator chimed in, unhooking the safety straps and opening the door.

Kairen was the first to stand. Her sweet, bubbly personality returning to the forefront. “You coming, sweetie?” Shinichi raised his head, eyes locking on the inviting hand stretched out towards him. Of course Kid wasn’t afraid. The thief had known long before the day even started.

With little hesitation, Shinichi took her hand and let her guide him away from the ride, leaving through the park’s main gate.

Even as Tropical Land began to fade behind the buildings, their hands stayed together. Shinichi hadn’t even noticed it until he followed the gazes of a few nosy people on the street. He glanced down at their intertwined fingers, biting back the blush forming as his eyes drifted up to the thief’s profile. Kid’s hand nestled within his own felt so natural, so warm and normal… even calming after the nervous position he found himself trying to crawl out of at the end of the ride.

The two continued to walk through the city in silence. Whenever Shinichi glanced over he could see a content smile subtly tugging at the magician’s lips. Not once had the thief’s hand even twitched. At one point the detective decided to test the waters and attempt to adjust his grip, just to see if Kid would use the opportunity to extract his own from the death god’s grasp. To his surprise, Kid did nothing. He merely loosened his hold to better let Shinichi stretch. When he relaxed again, the magician’s fingers curled back around like nothing had happened. It made the detective’s heart skip a beat, made him feel his pulse in his cheeks and hear the rushing of blood in his ears. With paranoia trying to constantly sweep the hope from under his feet, he closed his eyes to check Kid’s soul. To his surprise once again, there was nothing wrong. Kid’s soul was warm and full of light. As he continued to hold on he could feel a little heartbeat coming from it as if it was still ‘alive’. A smile crept onto his face as the situation finally settled. There was at least one person in the world who didn’t die from merely being around him.

“So what now?” Shinichi finally managed to ask again next time they stopped. However this time he was less afraid of the answer.

Kairen smiled as she turned to face the detective in front of the Kudo residence. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes that aroused suspicions. She leaned in close, adjusting Shinichi’s jacket higher on her shoulders for warmth. “Now?” She whispered against the detective’s lips, her free hand lightly walking up his chest as she gently pulled Shinichi forward by the hand she still held. “Now you return home for the night and dream of me.” Kairen’s hand continued to climb until she was able to curl her finger’s into the detective’s hair. Shinichi’s heart pounded in his chest as Kid leaned into the space between their-

The moment was shattered again by the sound of an explosion down the street. Shinichi jumped to attention, his eyes locking on the trail of smoking coming from Professor Agasa’s property as a faint cry of disappointment traveled towards them through the air.

A light pressure rested against his back with a sigh. Shinichi shifted to turn around but Kid held onto his sleeves, burying his head into the nape of the detective’s neck. “Kid…?” The magician wrapped his arms around Shinichi’s waist, pulling him into a hug. From the corner of his eyes he could see the ginger hair from the disguise draping over his shoulder. Staggering warm puffs of air danced along his skin. “…Kid?” He tried again after a few more seconds.

At first he received no solid response, just the thief’s hold on him tightening and Kid nuzzling lightly into his neck. He was thankful for the late time of night as the street was completely barren of other people walking through. The longer the thief held him the hotter his own body felt and the more confused he became. Kid was refusing to move. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to handle the thief in this kind of situation?

Already becoming more flustered by the second, Shinichi tapped the back of Kid’s hand. As he began to peel it from his person Kid spoke up quietly into his ear. “Just a little longer… please?” It caught him off guard and the color he was trying so hard to hold back rushed to his face.

Nothing else was going on. There were no cases in front of him, no police officers begging for his time or attention. No one was dying around him nor did anyone do so all day. His mind was free from all other distractions. With the current state of things his thoughts remained solely on the thief. The way the magician’s breath felt against his neck, the arms wrapped comfortably around him, the soft sound of Kid breathing just behind him… Despite the moment to think, concentrating was another issue entirely. Then, as soon as it seemed to start, Kid finally shifted. “I’ll be in touch, Shinichi.” The magician whispered before placing a kiss on the detective’s neck. Shinichi froze, his mind focused on Kid’s lips against his skin. A weight was placed on his shoulders and when Shinichi turned around Kid was already gone. The teen stood in silence, staring at the empty space the thief used to be. As he passed the gate and walked through his front yard he remained acutely aware of the lingering feeling still on his neck.

With the gate locked for the night, Shinichi stepped inside his house. He removed his shoes by the door and pulled the jacket from his shoulders before he proceeded to his bedroom in the dark, his energy level drained for the night. The detective dragged his feet towards his bed without even bothering to change his clothes. He noticed two things after dropping down onto the covers. There was an odd weight in one of the jacket pockets and something extra rested beside his pillow that he didn’t have before.

A small vibration buzzed in one of his pockets. Breathing out a low groan, Shinichi reluctantly opened his eyes only to come face to face with Kaitou Kid. Shinichi jolted backwards off the bed in alarm, noting a loud thud from his jacket as he landed at an awkward angle. The detective scrambled to his feet and turned on a light. To his relief and disappointment the only Kaitou Kid lying on his bed was the doll from Tropical Land. The thief had said he already moved it to Kudo's house… of course that idiot would do something like plant it on his bed. With his miniature heart attack settling, he checked his pockets. From one, he pulled out his phone and opened it to check a new message from someone simply named ‘8’ in his contact list.

 

_Good evening Detective,_

_I trust you found it. Please give my regards to Inspector Nakamori for me._

_Sleep well, Shinichi_

 

As he read through the message, his other hand pulled out a rather large jewel that upon closer inspection was the same one stolen from the last heist. His shoulders slumped at the find. It meant yet another stop to make tomorrow. It wasn't the first time Kid had cornered him into fulfilling the task of returning a jewel. At least this method was better than having to come up with a story for how he was somehow two places at once.

Shinichi carefully placed the phone and gem on the bedside. His eyes lingered on the last line of the text, mind reading it in the thief’s voice over and over. It wasn’t until the fifth time he finally tore his gaze away and crawled back into bed. The entire day passed through the back of his mind as his eyes bore a hole into the ceiling. The more he replayed it, the more his heart began to flutter.

When sleep finally began fogging up his mind, the teen rolled over once again meeting the Kaitou Kid doll face to face. The detective frowned as he sat up enough to move the doll to the foot of his bed, making sure to have it facing away mostly out of self-consciousness. With the last distraction taken care of for the time being, Shinichi allowed himself to drift off for the night.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi lied about the text. Claiming instead that he received the jewel in the mail from an unmarked envelope. Inspector Nakamori seemed to buy it, as it was one of Kid’s typical methods, but Hakuba was a little less easy to convince. Ever since Shinichi had successfully avoided his questions for countless days, the other detective seemed to harbor a slight skepticism on anything Kid related that came from Kudo’s mouth.

Last night had been one of the most satisfying nights he had had in a long time. He slept soundly and felt incredibly well rested when his alarm blared into existence at 7am. The sleep easily drifted away from his mind when he yawned, snuggling into what he thought was his pillow. However, that pillow wasn't anywhere close to being long enough for him to wrap his legs around. Yet... there he was, absolutely curled around some soft _thing_. Only after his eyes adjusted to the bright morning light did he find he was clutching the Kaitou Kid doll tight against his chest.

Color danced along the detective's cheeks from the memory. It was just a doll but for some reason he couldn't stop picturing the actual thief in its place. Smiling at him with a light glow from the early sun, relaxing into the magician's arms and sharing an innocent morning kiss. Shinichi stopped dead on the sidewalk, the blush intensifying as he realized his train of thought. A fog descended on his mind the more he tried to analyze them. He wasn't even sure what exactly to go over or how to interpret them. It all felt like a bunch of loosely caught butterflies escaping his grasp every time he thought he figured something out. The topic of Kid was so much more frustrating than any murder case he had laid his hands on.

Speaking of cases, Shinichi took out his cell phone, a small smile forming on the corners of his lips as he caught sight of the charm dangling from the corner, and dialed Inspector Megure. A single pitched dial tone sounded in his ear several times as he walked towards the station before it sent him to voicemail. " _I'm sorry the contact you are trying to reach is unavailable. If you'd like to leave a messa-"_ Shinichi ended the call and tried the office phone. He waited for eight dial tones to ring before giving in and hanging up.

He glanced at the 'failed call's listed in his history before snapping his phone shut and pocketing it once more. It was a little bizarre to not be able to reach the Inspector at all. Not even anyone in the office picked up the phone. Normally his calls always connected. There had to be either some sort of meeting or another case popping up. He leaned more towards the latter when he recalled Megure's phone call the night before with Kid on the Ferris Wheel. The detective bit his lip, a futile attempt to keep his thoughts off a certain magician.

Just as he reeled himself towards the previous topic, his phone buzzed. Assuming it was someone from the station or Megure getting back to him, albeit surprisingly fast at that, the detective was quick to pull it back out. Turns out, it was a text message. From the contact '8' in his list, the one he knew he wasn't responsible for inputting.

 

_Good morning, Detective._

_I trust you slept well._

_Have you ever heard of the Crow Bookstore?_

_You can find the address on the third page of the local paper. They just opened._

Shinichi reread the message. The first time was mainly for content while the second time was for context. Without putting too much thought into his actions, he found himself running to the nearest magazine stand in sight, eyes scanning the itemsfor the most recent Beika newspaper. He was flipping through the pages when he spotted it. The article was the smallest on the page, squished between two larger columns advertising a local cleaning service and a new security system. The bookstore in particular was announcing its grand reopening after a massive reorganization of stock. Although the clip was barely one by two inches on the page, they had an address and a short teaser list of 'new' titles available for purchase. With the various other bookstores within the area, Crow appeared to be focusing on old classics that were 'uncovered after decades within the shadows for the public's pleasure'.

It took him a little under 15 minutes to reach the address. He stood in front of the shop, gazing through the window as he caught his breath. Along the way he convinced himself he wasn't running in hopes of crossing paths with Kid but because he still needed to make it to the Beika Police Station. He was in a hurry and the store was in the opposite direction, that was all.

When his breathing became manageable again, the detective walked through the door. A pleasant, old fashioned bell rung as it swung open. One step inside and already the smell of books filled his senses, almost the same as a library. The main differences were the lack of a children's section and the multiple bookcases lining the walls filled with old, stained paperback and hardcover books. The shop’s illumination was toned down just enough to give a soothing ambient lighting, perfect for immersing oneself in a good book. It was a personal heaven tucked away on a cozy side street just off the main drag.

As Shinichi walked through the aisles he let his hands glide over the spines, the occasional frayed texture added to the atmosphere. One book caught his attention and he gently pulled it off the shelf. He began reading from a random page somewhere in the middle before he felt eyes on him. A soft smile formed on his lips as a figure stepped into his peripheral. “Excuse me, sir, may I help you find anything?”

Shinichi closed the book, returning it to its spot on the shelf. “Who is it today?” He asked, a knowing smile already forming on his face as he turned towards the employee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to.... discretely add this chapter here because death gods know, I've got zero definite update schedule.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and sticking with this. I've never been continuously motivated for this long on a single project. The plot for this was first conceived back in mid-June, began writing for Camp NaNo in July, continued with it up until and through NaNo during the small chunks of time carved out between class work and now it helps me stay sane through finals.
> 
> It's thanks to everyone's continuous support that I have yet to even touch the breaks on this. Please look forward to the next chapter!


	10. A Fairy Tale's Magic Number

By the time Shinichi reached the station, the sun was beginning to set behind the skyline. Many of the floors were dark with only the minimal lights kept on. A quiet squeak resounded through the reception area as the front doors swung open. The officer currently on duty glanced up at the sound, recognition passing over his features at the teenager walking towards the desk. "What can I do for you, Kudo?"

"I've been trying to contact Inspector Megure about a call I received from him last night. Do you know how I can reach him? He's not answering either his office or personal phone." Shinichi leaned against the desk while the officer began rustling through the stacks of paper before him.

He hummed once and picked up the phone. "Let me see if they've returned, I know Division One rushed out of here earlier." The teen could hear the same dial tone emitting from the speaker as the two waited. "Guess no one's available up there." The man said, a bit confused himself, as he returned the phone onto the hook. "That's very strange. Usually there's at least someone present to answer calls. Sorry about that, Kudo."

Shinichi let his arms slide off the edge of the desk, slipping them into his pant pockets feeling a bit defeated. They weren't avoiding him were they? Sure, he did sort of hang up on them during a work call... well Kid did for him... But to completely cut him out seemed a bit extreme. Unless it was also due to the whole confusion with Kaitou Kid's supposed murder. He brushed his bangs back in frustration. "Thank you for your help." The officer gave him a nod as he proceeded to return to his work. Having been pushed several paces back on the case, Shinichi resolved to head home for the day. There were still a few other cases lying on his desk for him to sort through.

As the teen was about to push the doors open the officer called out in a panic. "Wait! Hold on, Kudo!" Shinichi paused, turning to face the hurried footsteps approaching him. "I'm so sorry. Inspector Megure actually left a note for you in case you came over. It must have become buried under everything else during the day."

"Don't worry about it. Thank you for finding it." He took the note with a smile and exited the station.

The note was short and simple. 'New information came up today. Come back tomorrow. We've got a lot to discuss and go over.' It was a relief knowing his doubt was for naught. Though why he felt so self conscious in the first place was new **.** Throughout the years he had always been conscious of his personal connections with others. It was lonely knowing he could accidently be the underlying cause of an acquaintance’s death on a bad day. It was one of the main reasons why he tried to keep to himself. No matter how hard a certain classmate of his tried to befriend him. It was a risk he didn't want to drag others into unwillingly. Yet he couldn't just freely tell anyone who tried to get close him. He didn't need to test the information on someone to know their likely reaction. However, having someone who knew and didn't care or treat him differently in any way was a godsend **.** To a certain extend he didn't care what people thought of him as long as he was able to continue doing his job. It had only been a day since his apparent 'date' with the magician and he was already looking forward to when the idiot would insert himself into Shinichi’s life again.

 

* * *

 

"Looks like we've officially got a serial killer on our hands." Inspector Megure commented, holding his chin in thought as he stared down at what was now the third victim with an SD Card found somewhere on their body. Megure, along with Detective Sato, and Sergeant Takagi all stood by the victim's feet since they had been present for the initial recovery of the body. Meanwhile Shinichi leaned over the latest victim's torso, eyes scanning the various skin lesions lining the body. "Before we begin, if you don't mind, please allow us to bring Kudo up to speed while we wait."

Rin gave a quick thumbs up as she walked over to the body storage drawers. "We received a call yesterday from a local law firm that a body had fallen from the ceiling. Apparently, it had rotted through the ceiling boards and the structure collapsed, bringing the victim down onto one of the practicing lawyer's desks. It was quite the mess."

"And yet I'm still the only one who finds humor in the killer's choice of dumping ground as the office of some blood sucking lawyers," Rin piped up as she pulled the bodies of the first and second victim from their cooling storage.

Detective Sato cleared her throat, not amused by the horrible attempt at humor. "As I was saying." Sato began again, waiting to confirm everyone stayed silent. "They had submitted a report of a possible broken pipe eight days ago that was starting to stain the ceiling molding. Supposedly someone visited and fixed it two days after the report. However, for the following six days whenever an employee or client entered the office they would complain about a strange smell. The building was cleaned but nothing odd was found."

Sergeant Takagi flipped through his clipboard during the pause. Wheels of two other medical examination tables squeaked as Rin moved Hoyt and Jyunko up beside the new John Doe. "The law firm has a basic security system. We've already confiscated their tapes so while it's a little grainy we can still use it."

"I would think it's safe to assume the killer planted the victim in the ceiling with hopes that it would be a ticking time bomb with a longer fuse. Considering it's only been a four days since their last body was uncovered." The sound of equipment moving across the floor lifted Shinichi's gaze from the victim. Detective Chiba and Forensic Analyst Nezumi came into the room wheeling a big screen monitor connected to several boxes on a side table.

As Chiba worked on plugging in the loose wires, Rin smirked and elbowed the teen in the side. "Speaking of 'the weekend'. I heard you hung up on Inspector Megure Sunday night?" Shinichi shifted his weight in a less than subtle attempt to avoid whatever was coming next. He was stopped only by Rin's arm slinging around his shoulders. "Aaaand I also heard there was a girl with you? Do tell you, sly dog, you!"

At that point Shinichi was sure he was bright red. "I-It's really not whatever you think it is" One quick glance at Nezumi and Chiba told him he wasn't going to get out of this that easily. Even Takagi, Sato and Megure were showing a bit of interest in his answer. Probably because the knowledge of Shinichi being with someone in that way was so foreign.

"Oooh I think it's exactly what I think it is. In fact-"

Inspector Megure cleared his throat, effectively cutting off whatever Rin was about to go on about. "If you don't mind saving this conversation for later so we can get to the topic at hand?" To the teen's relief, the energetic woman backed off the subject. Detective Chiba and Nezumi stepped up towards the rest of the group, their monitor correctly set up and ready to go.

"Starting with the second victim here," Rin moved to the head of the table, gesturing to Ms. Jyunko laid out on the table in between the other two. "As suspected her cause of death was the two quick, deep cuts that were made across her neck here. One left handed and the other was made with the right hand. You can see by how the blood dried that each cut was made within seconds of each other, if not at the same time. Based on this fact, and how clean the cuts were preformed, we can safely assume our killer is either ambidextrous or at least very skilled with both hands." Rin picked up a picture from beside the victim's head and held it up. "As mentioned in our last meeting, the SD card was found in her side and was used to sew her two kidneys together."

"Another piece to note is that our victim here was completely drained of her blood. After slitting her throat, the suspect tied her upside down by her ankles and gathered the blood into some kind of container. They likely used the same wire to lower her into the fountain and there aren't any other similar marks on her body. As for the purpose for taking her blood, I couldn't say for sure until we found Mr. John Doe over here." Rin positioned herself at the end of the 3rd table. The victim was a dark skinned male with a buzz-cut length blond hair. He was a bit taller then the typical person and of average build. The man was too old to be in his twenties yet appeared too young for any number above forty. There was slight discoloring on the victim’s left ring finger which could point to a divorce or at least a separation.

"Now, this fellow, before his death was held in some sort of small, tight cage or binding for days, perhaps even weeks.” The monitor hummed as the screen warmed up to reveal various human shaped contraptions. Most of which were made out of some type of metal. “Our current victim was likely held in one of these gibbets as a form of mental torture.” Nezumi glanced back to Rin for the rest of her analysis.

“You can see by the contents of the stomach, while our victim was severely deprived of food and water he wasn’t completely denied of either. Depending on the environment he was kept in, he very well may be the first victim abducted.”

“We’re already searching through the missing person reports for anyone who matches the victim.” Inspector Megure confirmed, soon motioning for Reitou to continue.

“Both victim’s skins have a similar prune like texture. While the second victim was drowned after her death, the third’s cause of death was asphyxiation by drowning.” Rin shifted her weight, glancing over at Nezumi for assistance.

“While I was testing the skin and tissue samples Reitou sent up to me, we concluded where the second victim’s blood went. Ms. Jyunko Suuki’s blood was soaked into the skin and clogged up the lungs of our newest victim. He was drowned in the blood of another.” Takagi lurched forward, covering his mouth for a moment before gulping rather loudly. “Well, if you appreciated that bit Sergeant Takagi then you’ll love this too. We found his SD card sewn under his tongue.” To add insult to injury, Rin lifted up the initial photographs of the external data locations.

“Wait. That doesn’t make sense. We found Ms. Suuki four days ago.” Shinichi brought up. “Reports from the hotel said Suuki and her fiancé, Yamura, arrived several days beforehand.”

“Exactly! So who _really_ checked in with Yamura?” Nezumi prompted, signaling Detective Chiba to play the first tape on the screen. It was the security footage from the pair’s check in time. One was easily identifiable as Emiko Yamura but the woman beside her wore sunglasses and a wide rimmed sun hat that covered much of her features in shadow that, on the grainy video, was already hard enough to see. A rather large suitcase was resting beside the two women.

Shinichi stared at the image as the pair seemed to be confirming a reservation with the front desk. “You don’t suppose that bag is big enough to hold a body do you?”

The comment had Takagi pinned to the screen. “If we assume blood was drained beforehand then the entire scene was set up to lead us astray.”

“Which means Yamura stumbling upon our investigation at that precise moment and her grief was all an act?” Sato glared at the screen. “That’s sick.” While a few in the room shifted with the uncomfortable conclusion Shinichi inwardly slumped. It was far from the first and would surely never be the last time he encountered such emotional lies. What really saddened him was that the second victim truly did have an engagement ring on. For Yamura to go through with what they were speculating meant she never really cared. But Jyunko Suuki believed it was all real. The reaper shuddered to think what went through the victims head in her final moments, if she ever found out the truth.

“So who’s the other woman?” Takagi tapped the screen. “Or perhaps that’s someone else disguised as a woman for their little act.”

“Unless Yamura was kept from that reality, which I doubt or whoever that is is just that good, I’d say it’s a woman.” Shinichi piped up after his short silence. Everyone glanced back at him with unsure expressions, quietly questioning his reasoning. “Well. Back at the scene, as soon as Yamura realized she was being comforted by Sergeant Takagi, a male, she extracted herself from his and went straight for Detective Sato, a woman. That reaction was too quick to be anything ‘planned’ but rather something on a more personal level. She would barely even talk to me, only Detective Sato seemed to be able to get useful information from her.” Shinichi crossed his arms and gestured towards the screen. “I’d imagine you’d have to harbor a lot of trust with someone to be their accomplice and not worry about being betrayed. For all we know, that could very well be our killer standing right next to our best lead.”

Inspector Megure stepped forward, voice strong and commanding as he spoke. “For now, I want all available resources tracking that woman down! Find out who she is and get me every scrap of information you can find on ‘Emiko Yamura’.”

"Ah… Actually there's one last thing I found. At first, when we only had the one victim I assumed it was just a few extra lines of nonsense code meant to only screw up the decryption formula. However, after taking a quick look at the latest two data cards I can’t say that’s the case anymore.” Nezumi nodded to Chiba who pointed the remote back at the monitor and clicked the next button. What appeared next on the screen was binary code four columns wide and fourteen rows down. “Here’s what they translate to.” The zeros and ones on the screen shifted, fading out to form the letters they consisted of:

Detective.

Hear me loud and clear.

I am The Executioner.

The room stayed in an odd silence. One by one each member of the force turned to stare at Shinichi, the only one who made sense for the first message to be addressing. After all, it was the teen’s front yard where it all began.

 

* * *

 

Shinichi left the station in a stupor, not caring when he stepped into the downpour without an umbrella. Overall he wasn't sure how he felt about the new development. Hoyt Hatsuzaki's placement in his own front yard wasn't random, wasn't just a spur of the moment decision of a new killer. Everything was planned down to the positioning of each individual toe. Not a single choice so far was made without careful execution. Even being addressed within the killer's personal notes. There was no doubt. He was being targeted. The Executioner didn't seem to be doing it over a personal vendetta but for all he knew it could be. Or perhaps it was all for attention. The question as to 'why' however was harder to answer. The possibility of whoever the killer was knowing 'what' Shinichi was came to mind as well. The thought sent a nervous chill up his spine. He had no idea, if that was the case, how The Executioner would have even found out about it. The first person to ever find out, aside from his parents, was Kaitou Kid.

Hold on a minute.

If he thought about it the whole thing sort of came together in jagged pieces. The SD Card killer only showed up after Kaitou Kid's bizarre death. The magician was an abnormality in the world. There was no telling what was going on with the thief's soul and the consequences it brought. The idiot was an amazing actor, he could have been pulling the wool over Shinichi's eyes since they bumped into each other that day on the sidewalk. Multiple pieces of evidence pointed to the killer having skilled hands and also being ambidextrous, both categories Kid fit into perfectly. The magician was also a good enough actor to fool various other detectives. He could have tricked Emiko Yamura.

His heart ached. It felt cold and hollow. Guilt wracked his brain as each new suspicion came together. He didn't want to believe it, didn't want to think Kid could be capable of murder. He never seemed the type with those moral codes he always followed. Yet, after that last heist Shinichi wasn't so sure. His thumb graced over the still healing cut on the back of his hand. It couldn't be true. Yet, so far, not a single time of death even remotely aligned with a time he could pin Kid's whereabouts down. Even though the evidence was lining up there wasn't anything solid that pointed to Kid. He had to be sure.

As he pulled out his phone in the middle of the sidewalk, he briefly wondered what he would do if it was true. What would he do if Kid admitted it? Would the thief blackmail him into silence? While that wouldn't be like Kid to do at all, Shinichi had no idea how much Kid’s death affected his mind apart from the memory blank. All the morals the magician stood so close to could have vanished with the memories as well. Shinichi gulped, shaking the negative thoughts away as he typed.

_There's something I need to ask you. It's important._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year :)


	11. For me, Hope is a Dangerous Thing

Half a month passed by and Shinichi had yet to confront Kid about The Executioner case. It wasn’t as though there was never an opportunity. Not counting that day he spent at the Beika Police Station, he had met up with Kid every day since Tropical Land. At first the magician staged their meetings as coincidences. After the third day in a row of “fancy meeting you here” Shinichi took the liberty of pulling the thief to the side for a chat. From then on, they either met at a previously agreed upon time or on the sudden request via text message. It had started out annoying. All the overly casual meetings felt as though his personal time was being snatched away without his consent. Too much, too soon, and not enough time in between to digest and comprehend his own feelings.

Kid did a very good job at starting out small. Fifteen to twenty minutes here eventually morphed into an hour or two. There were two or three days he was forced to spend at the station going over evidence that couldn’t be signed out and would receive a call from the officer working reception. Each time he was informed of a different person leaving a brown paper bag and a cup of coffee for him. It varied from sandwiches to wraps, store bought pasta, or rice balls. To his dismay, the gesture didn't go unnoticed with the rest of the department. All they saw was Shinichi returning to the floor with a hand delivered lunch. Many of the officers tried to get gossip from him; asking who it was, where they met, if they had kissed yet. It was exhausting. Especially since, despite the way his heart fluttered in the magician’s presence, they were only meeting as friends from what Shinichi was aware of.

Shinichi couldn’t help but notice how the more time he spent with Kid, the less he wanted to acknowledge the problem at hand. He had no desire to linger on the man’s death and what it meant for the still beating soul. He didn’t want to think about the possible consequences that could arise from letting the magician continue walking through the streets. With each passing day a new excuse was added to the now growing list. _Have you killed anyone?_ Was a question constantly on the tip of his tongue. It was his job as a detective to uncover the truth but he kept holding out hope for Kid’s innocence.

Until Shinichi was to head off to college in the fall, it was arranged for him to work with the station as a consultant for Division One with difficult cases passed off to him when they came up. The detective had just dropped off the last case file assigned to him on Inspector Megure's desk when his cell buzzed. To the rest of the division, Shinichi used his phone for emergency calls only and for its GPS capabilities just in case. For the teen's phone to announce the arrival of a message and for the detective to immediately take his phone out only served to re-instate the delivered lunches.

A soft smile smoothed over his features as he read the text. From the corner of his phone a black and white blur swung like a pendulum from the movement. "What's gotten you into such a good mood, Kudo?" Sergeant Takagi asked, tone light and playful as he leaned over the teen's shoulder to get a better look. It wasn't as though he was the only one who was dying of curiosity. Shinichi, however, jumped several feet in the air with a yelp. The phone fell from his fingers and clacked against the floor.

Detective Sato picked the cell up and flipped it shut. "You really shouldn't butt into Kudo's life like that, Takagi." She glanced at the phone and did a double take when she spotted the new charm. "Oh, Kudo! What is this?" Sato turned her back to the teen as he lunged for the cell. She lifted it up, rolling the little figure between her fingers. "...Is this a mini death figure?" At that, everyone in the office swarmed to get a closer look.

"Kudo, I didn't know you were into those kind of jokes."

"I think it's a bit creepy, given your luck with that sort of thing."

"What a cute little charm! Certainly adds a bit of light to that aspect of your life, doesn't it?"

Every time the phone was passed to the next officer the fear of someone reading his messages probed his mind. "It was a gift, okay! Now kindly return my phone!" Shinichi tried yelling over the crowd's chattering.

"Whoever gave you this is a keeper. What a sense of humor!" The officer passed it back to Sato just as he burst out laughing.

"Come on! I have to be somewhere!" Anxious and growing ever more impatient, he held out his hand in frustration. Never again would he check his phone at work.

"Alright, alright, here you go." Shinichi snatched his phone back right out of her hands. He didn't bother with a thank you, his annoyance level reaching its peak. "Man, Kudo, I've never seen you so flustered." Sato ignored the glare she received in return. Without wasting another minute Shinichi started for the door, not stopping to listen as Detective Sato called out after him. "Make sure to tell that person that we approve! Anyone who manages to lift you out of your dreary spirits is great in our book!"

 

* * *

 

When Shinichi passed through the front doors of the station into the sunlight he was greeted immediately. "Afternoon, Detective." Kid was leaning up against the front of the building waiting patiently with an umbrella in hand. Today the magician was wearing denim button up shirt with breast pockets on either side and the sleeves rolled up over his elbows. He wore near black pants and dark shoes. Despite their mutual familiarity over the recent weeks, Kid never showed up to one of their meetings without some kind of disguise. Though it was mostly for the rest of the public's eye. He knew from past heists that he and Kid looked very much alike. Shinichi typically used that in comparison for picking out what changes the magician made each time. Today the majority of his features were sharpened. His blond hair was combed up, giving the bangs peeking out from underneath the dull green beanie a fluffy look. The one part of him that never changed was his eye color. Kid seemed to make it a point to always leave his eyes alone whenever he met up with the detective.

"Afternoon..." Shinichi replied, leaving out a name until Kid provided whichever one he had chosen for this specific disguise. "Where are we off to today?"

"Straight to the point this time, huh?" Kid pushed off the wall and Shinichi took a step back. "What? No hug this time?" Shinichi groaned to himself as Kid's expression morphed into that of a kicked puppy.

"The entirety of Division One stole my phone. They know something's up. It's not like you're being subtle. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all watching through the windows to see who I'm meeting." Shinichi reached out for the magician's hand, intent on dragging him out of the station's watchful eye when he stopped. No matter how many times he checked Kid's soul, no matter how many times they innocently brushed against each other and Kid didn't fall over dead he couldn't shake the paranoia and fear. For all he knew, the immortal thief's luck could run out the next time they touched. "Besides... you know how I feel about that..."

"How many times do I have to remind you-"

"Hey, wait a minute!" His eyes bore into their linked hands as the thief pulled him along into a run. Panic sweltered up in his heart yet Kid ignored the detective's desperate tugs to get free. They only lasted for a minute or two before they died down completely.

"I won't die that easily. If I haven't yet, then it should be safe to assume so. I’m not going to let your precious mind keep lingering on that depressing subject." The two turned several corners and crossed multiple streets before Kid allowed them to slow to a walk. He stole a peek at the detective as they continued down the sidewalk. He had his head low, bangs blocking his eyes from view. "We've been out and about everyday. I figured you'd prefer to spend the day inside, away from the public eye and worries of that aura problem you have."

As they walked down a particularly long stretch the sun began hiding behind the clouds. An overcast shadow overtaking the city landscape. A single drop of water fell on the detective’s face before his view of the sky was replaced with a dark navy blue fabric. Kid stepped closer to Shinichi in order to better keep him under the umbrella. Shinichi fidgeted as he waited for the magician to loop their arms together and was disappointed when he didn’t. By the time they reached the next intersection the drizzle had grown to a steady flow of rain.

The two passed onto a neighborhood street that looked more like a row of demolition or construction sites. The property Kid nudged him towards was no different. The one story house looked like it should be condemned and torn down soon after. If it didn’t fall apart on its own accord beforehand. Half of the roof’s shingles were littering the lawn which looked two shades away from being dead. The outer walls looked old and decrepit. Surely Kid hadn’t been living in _that_ these past couple of months.

 

"Pardon my intrusion...?" Shinichi whispered, already feeling extremely self conscious at being inside Kid's home... if one could call it that. If he thought it looked desperate on the outside the inside held no promises either. Upon first glance it looked like a construction site, an unfinished one at that. The walls were bare with several areas where the plaster was chipping off into piles against the molding. There were two windows spaced evenly on the wall across from the entrance. In between them sat a large heap of debris that, judging from the marks along the cold sawdust covered floor, were swept into that central location. Slabs of broken concrete too heavy to move were scattered around the room. In the farthest corner of the space was a couple of counters that acted as a makeshift kitchen area. There was only one other room attached. Shinichi watched as Kid disappeared through the doorway. He stayed put for a few more seconds before deciding to follow the thief instead of awkwardly standing by what was supposed to act as a front door.

Shinichi walked into the room just as Kid tossed the blond wig and beanie aside, a visible mound of hair clips lying on the table directly to the right of the doorway. "Aww man, that one was so itchy." Kid complained, violently scratching his scalp and ruffling his brown hair. Shinichi averted his eyes to focus on the rest of the room as Kid worked on taking apart the rest of his disguise. Despite already being in the thief's safe house, watching him adjust his disguise at the lowest level felt very much like an over breach of privacy.

The walls were the complete opposite from the rest of the house. Instead of being bare, they were lined with news articles and jewel exhibit dates. Pages from newspapers and various cut outs were stuck to the wall. Not a single spot wasn’t covered, many of the papers overlapping due to, what Shinichi suspected, were out of date information or already stolen gems. He couldn't help it when a warmth crawled up his spine when he spotted the empty cot on the other side of the room. From what he had seen, it was the only place to sit other than on the floor or on what was likely a very unstable counter.

Two arms slid over his shoulders and settled over his chest out of nowhere. A warm breath of air brushed against his neck before he heard a quiet, "finished. You can look now." Shinichi felt the magician nuzzle the tender skin just below his ear. If he wasn’t on sensory overload he would have jumped away in embarrassment. Instead he stood rooted in place even after Kid circled around him.

The magician looked like he had just woken up with a terrible case of bed head. Shinichi blinked out of his torpor, staring Kid up and down before nervously turning away. “… why?”

A hand came up and cupped Shinichi’s face, gently bringing him to meet the thief’s eyes. “I wanted to spend time with you as myself for once. Not in some random disguise.” Everything seemed to be moving too fast. First he was let into Kaitou Kid’s home then he was seeing him without a disguise… what next? As the thought crossed his mind, Kid took Shinichi’s hand in his and guided him towards the bed. He couldn’t help it when his feet dragged across the floor, skin as red as a tomato while his tongue became stuck in his throat. He sat down on the edge, his body a bundle of nervous energy. “I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of bringing that book you were working on from your house.” The book Kid was talking about fell onto his lap as if on cue.

Shinichi glanced down at it. He smoothed his hand over the cover, curling his fingers over the edge and feeling the bookmark still in place between the pages. “You’re alright with me just… reading?”

“Of course.” Kid reassured, as the detective scooted back until he was able to lean against the wall. The thief followed, crawling up onto the mattress. “I only ask that you let me borrow your lap.” Taking the lack of a vocal answer and the shy smile on the detective’s face, Kid took the liberty to get comfortable. A deck of cards appeared from thin air and the thief began idly shuffling through them. Shinichi on the other hand had only been able to open his book to the bookmark and stare at the page. The weight on his leg, while in reality was light, felt so heavy. He was afraid with smallest involuntary twitch of his leg Kid would opt to lean against the wall instead. A wave of relief washed over him for once over Kid breaking into his house not that he wanted it to become a regular thing. If he didn’t have the book in his hands they might have found their way affectionately into the magician’s hair. A few minutes more and Shinichi forced himself to focus on reading versus trying to over analyze everything when he may not get very far without Kid’s input on the situation. However, once he was a few paragraphs in it became easy to just enjoy the moment and lose himself in the book along with the warmth on his lap.

 

A solid hour breezed by. Neither spoke a word as they simply did their own thing in the presence of the other. Only when Shinichi began reading the same sentence for a good five minutes could he not wait any longer. His mouth blurted out his concern before his mind had a chance to process it. "Have you killed anyone in the past few months… or well… ever?"

The cards Kid had been fooling with abruptly stopped. "Have I... what?” The surprise in his voice wasn’t lost. The cards were collected back into a deck and vanished with a flick of the wrist. Kid sat up, the warmth on Shinichi’s leg from his head immediately being assaulted by a cold chill. “What are you talking about, Detective?"

"Well... you see... there's this case- I can't really talk about it but…" Shinichi put the book off to the side, not bothering to save the page. There were more important matters. “I need to know.”

"I somehow fit the profile, don't I?" A wave of guilt washed over Shinichi as he listened to the solemn words. Normally he had no problem calling people out on their crimes or possible crimes in the cases where they had yet to confess. Hell, he had lost count of how many crimes he had personally witnessed the person beside him commit. Why was this so hard? "You can relax, Detective. My hands are clean." Shinichi’s expression contorted to unease as he couldn’t exactly accept an international thief’s alibi at his word alone. As it was, there was nothing physical to support Kid’s claim. A sigh escaped the thief’s mouth, a subtle smile remaining despite the accusations against him. “I have records of all of my jobs in the past few months, detailed check in and check out times. Did you want to take a look at those?” He asked, already shimmying towards the edge of the bed.

The reaper wanted to accept that option but it still wasn’t as conclusive as he wanted. It felt a little too convenient as well. Plus there was no telling if Kid forged those documents. Guilt raked his mind at his train of thought. Throughout all the years he knew the thief and during all those times when another wanted to blame Kid for a murder Shinichi had stuck by him. He had stood up for the idiot in plain view of multiple departments, a few instances with Shinichi’s own neck on the line. It felt so wrong to question Kid otherwise, to doubt his character after everything Shinichi knew the thief had done. Even with the majority of people being in the dark on those instances such as the case with Officer Jack Connery of the ICOP. He didn’t want to believe Kid could be capable. “If you don’t mind. I’d rather check myself…”

“What… do you mean?” Kid asked a bit nervously.

Shinichi scooted over to the edge and sat a comfortable distance beside the magician. “B-By checking your soul…” he couldn’t help fidgeting with his hands a little, eyes darting over to the corner of his eyes to see Kid’s reaction.

Due to the numerous weeks spent interacting with and just generally being around Kid, Shinichi was able to at least pick out a few minor details to see past the expertly crafted mask. Slightly dilated pupils, an extra breath, or a carefully controlled flinch or twitch in a single finger. “Like when that witch…”

“… sort of. It shouldn’t hurt, I’ll just be-”

“No, it’s alright.” Kid turned his body toward the reaper. “I trust you, Shinichi.”

The words sounded so sincere it was bewildering. “–okay…” Shinichi gulped, already regretting not somehow practicing or thinking the procedure through. After all, he only had one glance at how the witch did it and a bunch of theories in his head. For all he knew, it could hurt a lot. “You might want to brace yourself, just in case.” Kid fully faced the reaper, folding one leg on the bed while the other dangled off the edge, and leaned back on his hands with his eyes focused on the ceiling.

Shinichi paused and withdrew his hand, regrettably thinking back to the magician’s last heist. Had the moment been less serious he was sure his face would have turned a shade of pink as he remembered the witch having to touch Kid’s bare skin in order to gaze into his soul. Without fully knowing his limitations, the detective could only assume the same was needed for him. Kid seemed to sense Shinichi’s hesitation as he centered his attention back to the reaper. “This would work better if I…if I didn’t have any sort of barrier between you and me.” Shinichi awkwardly cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind that is…” While Kid didn’t respond verbally he smiled and turned his head off to the side, allowing Shinichi to undo the first three buttons of the thief’s shirt.

The reaper tentatively reached out, letting the tips of his fingers rest gently against Kid’s chest. There was a small tremor in his hand that made keeping it still increasingly difficult as the seconds ticked by. He didn’t want anything to go wrong or for Kid to get hurt. The last thing he wanted was to hear that heart wrenching scream. Especially if he was to be the cause of it. Shinichi’s breath hitched when his hand was pulled flat against Kid’s skin. “I trust you.”

Kid retracted his hand and Shinichi took a deep breath, closing his eyes to concentrate better. He could feel every twitch of muscle, every respiration, and every beat of Kid’s heart. All the background noises, the sounds of cars and the bustling of a city, faded. A similar notion breezed through his mind. One that had brushed by him briefly before he traveled into that darkness filled with souls. Despite an uncomfortable force trying to push him out Shinichi found himself falling in.


	12. Loci of the Soul

An awful searing smell invaded Shinichi’s senses, forcing him to open his eyes. What was in front of him was not the room they were in at Kid’s safe house. In fact, Kid was nowhere to be found. The only reminder of the real world was a slight warmth on the palm of his hand.

The reaper stood before the steps to a burnt two story house. There were stairs to the second story on the far side of the property with two large sections of windows in between, one on each floor. There were four charred stumps where shrubs had been laid out along the grass in a row. With two more on either side of the steps leading to the front door that was encircled with a one story brick wall made to extend the corner of the house for a small balcony. The outer walls were now blackened and chipping as if they’d collapse at any second. He looked around the scene to find the rest of the houses in the development were the same with the exception of most already having crumbled to the ground. Only piles of rubble signifying there was anything there in the first place.

With nowhere else to go, Shinichi carefully walked up the steps and turned the doorknob. It squeaked upon movement, the door cracking as it was forced to pivot in the doorframe. None of the rooms were clear. No matter how hard Shinichi tried to focus on them or their contents it was as if he had numerous sheets of wax paper in front of his eyes. The only way he could establish the purposes of the rooms were the placement of the bulkier piles of ashes. Living room, kitchen, dining room… When Shinichi found the stairs he proceeded strategically, avoiding the heavily cracked or just plain missing steps.

The second floor was much like the first. Blackened as if set ablaze and mainly unrecognizable. There was one room, however, that caught the detective’s attention as it was the only one with the door still intact and set ajar. In the mental map of the house it would have been the one directly above the front door. The furniture and other miscellaneous items, while still deteriorated fragments of what they had been, were much clearer in what they used to be. Shinichi could pick out a desk in front of the window, a magazine shelf with a coffee table before it, and a bed behind those two. The left side of the room had a dresser and three wooden shelves just past it.

As soon as he stepped into the room, his eyes were drawn to the first colored anything he had yet to come across. It was a full body portrait of Kaitou Kid, his cape held in front of his torso with his face still barely visible. Shinichi reached out and let his fingers glide over the image. All but Kid’s face was so pristine and clear. In spite of the blurriness he could still tell the man was not the Kaitou Kid Shinichi had come to know. Perhaps he could have been the original Kid as the one the detective had been chasing after was too young to fulfill the phantom thief’s entire timeline. So far this trip into Kid’s soul was bringing up more questions than answers.

As his hand slipped off the portrait it made an unlatching sound. Red caught Shinichi’s eyes and drew them to the side. The sight made him jump. Next to the picture, just beyond the frame, were dozens of bullet holes lining the wall in clusters. Remnant were splattered against the wall, floor, and a corner of the portrait in dried blood. It was the same kind of formation that would occur if a body slammed against a surface and slumped onto the floor. He brushed his hand over one of the bullet holes and jerked back. Incoherent images too quick to comprehend flashed by accompanied only by ripples of terror.

Shinichi whirled around to look at the room again, the rest of the house flowing through his mind. “This was his house.” If he could find a residence that looked the same, he could find Kid’s old home. His real one. It could lead to the thief’s identity and possibly his family as well. Even though the task may prove harder than finding a needle in a hay stack Shinichi felt the hope morph into a stubborn determination. Then the outside of the property came crashing back to him. There was nothing he could use as a point of reference. Not even the color of the house. It could only result in a hopeless quest with an endless road leading towards a dead-end.

The reaper took one more look at the blood splatter and pushed the hidden door open. It made a half revolution before stopping. What laid ahead was an elegant open room with extravagant wooden walls and a dull pink carpet with a tiled design only interrupted by a long, deep red rug running down the length of the walkway. The lighting was dimmed to the point of being almost nonexistent.

Shinichi stepped over the lip of the panel and, upon hearing it close behind him, glanced back to find the door gone. In its place was a roped off ticket collection in the center of a hallway leading to two large blacked out glass entrance doors. Covered tables were set up along the far left side of the wall. Prices were laid out over the fabric but the items for sale were missing. To the distant right were open archways leading towards the theater’s bathrooms. A few meters away, straight past the roped off ticket counter Shinichi spotted a big, beautifully crafted set of wooden doors. As he approached, sounds from within the auditorium roared. He could hear muffled laughter, cheering, and shrills of excitement through the wood. The volume near doubled when Shinichi quietly entered the back of the auditorium.

It took a moment before his eyes adjusted to the new darkness. In front of him were various circular columns with thick, red curtains draped from the ceiling to the floor between each column. The detective started right, walking until he reached a section with the curtain pulled to either side and slipped into the audience.

All laughter and shouts of encouragement and praise died as Shinichi stepped past the threshold. Leaving an unnerving, eerie silence in its wake.

The auditorium was a large, one level room. It was filled with silk covered tables spaced fairly far apart. Each table had four mahogany chairs with padding on the seat and oval backing. It had a purple and gold trimmed stage curving along the far edge with a long rectangular section protruding out towards the middle of the space. The columns circled the room, curtains continuing around each side of the stage, allowing Shinichi too see backstage without any trouble. Two bright lights shined center stage, the only light source within the entire room.

The whole showroom was empty. Apart from the detective himself no one else was present. There was no audience nor was there a performer. When Shinichi passed through the room and moved onto the stage, a new kind of fear danced along his spine. The spotlights were unrelenting. He felt locked in place, eyes scanning the black shadows of the audience he knew wasn’t there as they stared back, a mixture of joy and maliciousness in their eyes. The stage itself was bare. Not a single prop or set piece sat on or near it. Leaving nothing to hide behind if the performer made a mistake or needed a breather. Absolutely everything was in view for the audience to judge. The darkness wasn’t a sanctuary either. There weren’t even curtains to draw for the beginning or finale of a performance. It was never ending. “Is this how you feel…? …everyday…?”

Retreating further back Shinichi came across bins filled to the brim with small spheres he recognized as Kid’s smoke and confetti capsules mixed in with a load of flash bombs. Several tables were set up haphazardly along the floor. Kid’s card gun, a pair of turbo engine skates and a taken apart version of his hang glider were deposited on top along with what looked like half completed tricks or inventions. Behind all of it laid two black doors.

Unsure what was behind either door, Shinichi resolved himself to check both just in case. The door on the right lead to a long and open hallway with smaller rooms branching off every half dozen meters. The walls were red with gold molding, meeting both the gold carved ceiling and the carpeted floor. Lining the walls were hundreds of framed portraits with little note cards underneath. No matter how far Shinichi walked, there didn’t seem to be a definite end nor a particular order to the photographs. The few cards he read described traits and personal habits, referring to the image of the person above them. It was an extensive library of all the disguises Kid had either employed or planned. Only some of the people Shinichi saw made him do a double take as he recognized bits and pieces that Kid used since they started meeting daily from the various pictures.

On his way back to the exit Shinichi couldn’t help it when his eyes wandered into one of the side rooms. The walls, unlike the rest of the space, were empty. However, standing throughout the room were square tables with mini easels behind a closed book on top. Each easel had a carefully painted picture of a few choice people, likely those Kid came into contact with consistently. While many were ruined with violent strokes of black, Shinichi was able to identify Hakuba and Inspector Nakamori. Their images clearly repainted over the sludge that had once destroyed them. Out of curiosity, the detective flipped open the book in front of Hakuba’s image. Shinichi had to turn multiple pages before he got to anything readable, the rest scribbled out in black pen. He laughed when he saw Kid’s thoughts, personal takes, opinions, and observations of the other detective sprawled out over the pages. Words of annoyance and reluctant dislike standing out the most.

Shinichi closed the book with a smile and was about to leave the room when he spotted his own picture out of the corner of his eyes. His feet quickly carried him over to the table and he couldn’t help but stare. The portrait of him was untouched by the poisonous black plaguing the rest of the room’s inhabitants. It looked so carefully done and preserved. The book accompanying his image was much thicker then any of the rest and the only one that didn’t have any blackened pages visible along the edges. What kind of things could Kid have thought about or observed to have such a huge collection of notes? A pang of guilt and unease flew through him when his fingers feathered over the cover. He wanted to know the magician’s thoughts about them but… it wouldn’t be fair this way. Kid trusted him and Shinichi wasn’t going to break that faith when he could just wait and ask the thief in person.

In anticipation of his resistant wavering, Shinichi left the room in a hurry. He returned to the backstage area for only a moment before ducking into the second and last room available to him there.

The space he stepped into was vastly different than the first. Immediately he recognized it as a generic museum. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all pure white with subtle hints of marble coloring throughout. Ahead of him were pedestals set up as their own exhibits. Upon closer inspection each pedestal housed a jewel, resting delicately on a cloth surface protected by a glass encasing. It took only a few gems for the detective to realize what he was seeing. Every jewel ever stolen by the current Kaitou Kid was present and arranged in chronological order.

Shinichi placed his hand on the glass of the first pedestal that didn’t seem to glitch out of existence. Inside multiple small blue gems were being displayed. He had seen them before in Kaitou Kid’s case file after he had officially met the thief months later. Shinichi wasn’t sure what he expected when images began flashing in front of his eyes. But these images, almost like a film wasn’t the same filled with terror he had experienced so far. There was a lingering thrill of adrenaline and joy of a challenge. An endearing smile spread over his lips as the events of that heist played out in front of his mind from Kid’s perspective although most actions were unclear and disorienting to focus on. True to Kid’s personal recollection of his memories, many before the Clock Tower heist as well as several afterwards kept flickering in and out of reality.

The detective retracted his hand from the case, halting the memory. Curiosity plagued him to approach another jewel. To be able to see heists through Kid’s eyes, see how he preformed his tricks, and feel every emotion that the thief kept carefully hidden under his dozens of masks fascinated the detective.

As the reaper‘s eyes glazed over the other memories an idea occurred to him. One that had him running through the museum’s halls for the most recent thefts. It was fairly well known that the number of heists Kid preformed were vast with there being periods of one each week depending on exhibit dates. However, Shinichi wasn’t expecting to have to run past so many. At first he tried counting to get an, for once, accurate number of the thief’s activities but with the pedestals spread out as they were it would have taken quite a while to walk to the end.

“There has to be at least a hundred here…” Shinichi muttered idly as he slowed to a walk, breath strained. The displays had long since stopped flickering out of existence as Shinichi had made more attempts to attend each heist. The small few that still did held an extra pin signifying another country’s flag inside the glass.

A change in the hallway brought the detective’s journey to a dead stop. Rather then the space being just large enough for the jewel displays the width nearly doubled in size. On the left, the pedestals continued but the right held various tables with a grid-like layout of specific items. Dozens were set up, each one likely representing the memory of the part time jobs Kid briefly mentioned. There was a toolbox for a handyman, a folded up uniform for a high end waiter, a maid outfit… the list went on. An empty space on his left caught the detective’s attention. One look at the jewels on either side confirmed the missing display to be where the memory for Joyau de la Chance should have been. Instead sat a surprisingly plain door without any sort of etchings or decorative molding.

The doorknob proved useless when tried. It merely released a frustrating clacking sound of tightly wound locks set in place. Shinichi stepped back and gave the space a once over. While the pedestal was missing, the flooring around the door was damaged. As if the stand had been in place once and was violently removed resulting in the dark streaks and scratches along the marble. An odd detail brought the detective around in a complete circle. The door wasn’t held up by anything. There wasn’t any wall segment, molding, or framing keeping it upright. Even the knob was available from both sides.

Shinichi turned towards the end of the hallway or lack there of. The interior merely faded to a white that extended indefinitely. Likely soon to be filled as the thief conducted more heists. He had walked through every single available door of Kid’s soul and subconscious. Murder, no matter how cold blooded someone was, always left a mark. Whether it was a weight on the mind or a corruption or cut on the soul. While it was the first time the reaper had ever dived into someone’s being, he had run into enough killers to be able to make an educated guess as to some subtle signs. Even though Kid’s own case was a special one from the get go, Shinichi could still analyze the areas with confidence. There were no signs of any struggles, no suspiciously hidden weapons, not a spec of blood to be found, nor were there any sections he was forbidden access to. Even the two exceptions, the locked door and the blood splatter in the broken down house, had logical explanations.

"Did you find anything of interest, Shinichi?" Kid's voice sang through the reaper's head breaking his concentration. His eyes flew open and he realized he had unconsciously leaned forward. Shinichi had already confirmed the truth behind the magician's testimony. There truly weren’t any signs of murder being committed stained on Kid's soul.

When he lifted his head to discuss what he found and met the magician’s eyes, Kid was looking at him so endearingly. A true smile on the thief’s face, as if remembering a fond memory. Shinichi briefly recalled touching one of Kid’s memories himself. Had he not been the only one to see it then? It was a bit unsettling to learn he unknowingly brought forth a moment from Kid’s past without knowing, forcing the magician to relive it in his mind. Thankfully it had been a pleasant one.

“I’m sorry for doubting you.” Shinichi was half expecting Kid to come up with a clever retort or to start knowingly piling on the guilt. But the only reaction Shinichi received was a reassuring smile, one that was vastly different from the normal smirk as it softened his features. It was one he had slowly been getting used to seeing over the last few weeks. Unsure with the magician’s unusual silence, Shinichi continued. “You really…” he tried to pull his hand away from Kid’s chest, the cold air assaulting his skin immediately, but was stopped when Kid gently took hold of his wrist. With careful movements, the magician raised his hand and rested it against Shinichi’s cheek. “…a-are…” the detective stuttered, his voice drowning out into the silence as he felt the loving caress against his skin.

The detective’s eyes darted everywhere but towards the person in front of him. Though he would rather blame it on the warmth of Kid’s hand Shinichi knew he had turned a few shades of red. “Shinichi…” The thief’s voice pulled his attention back, eyes locking with Kid’s. The detective couldn’t help flinching back a little when he realized just how close Kid had gotten. He could feel the other’s breath against his skin and smell the bizarre scent of chocolate mixed with coffee. Shinichi was frozen in place watching wide eyed as every movement Kid made seemed calculated and slow to not scare him away.

The same moment Kid tilted his head Shinichi closed his eyes. He was able to count three of his quickened heartbeats that were pounding in his ears before he felt Kid’s lips brush against his. Any timid feelings vanished within seconds as Kid confidently took control, his lips much softer and warmer than Shinichi would have guessed. He was only vaguely aware of the magician’s hand moving from his cheek to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair. Without breaking the kiss Kid eased his other hand around Shinichi’s waist and over the small of Shinichi’s back before slowly lowering the detective backwards onto the bed. He couldn’t help clinging to the thief’s collar as if the material in his hands was the only thing grounding him in reality.

A sound begged to be released into the air just as Kid pulled away. Shinichi blinked away his surprise. The blissful look on Kid’s face accompanied by the teen’s own faint blush made Shinichi’s heart do a somersault in his chest. It was his first kiss. It was enticing, thrilling, and better than what he imagined it would be like. To put it simply, it was _amazing_.

“I don’t understand…” Kid tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion, his smile losing a bit of its luster. “That is… I mean… your heart is still beating… you’re okay even after…that…ki…” the words got lost on his tongue. It was something Shinichi didn’t mean to bring up, his mind still paranoid with worry. During his life he had gotten used to being conscious of even brushing up against someone. Naturally anything more intimate, even just a simple kiss, spiked his concern. Merely the thought of killing the one person who knew, saw through the masks he put up and still wasn’t scared terrified him. “Not that I’m complaining…”

His eyes caught movement in his peripherals and watched as the magician interlaced their fingers. “What can I say? Lady Luck loves me.”

Shinichi smirked. “You’re not already taken by her are you?”

Kid leaned down, whispering against the detective’s lips. “Of course not, Detective. I’m all yours.” Shinichi smiled at the words, closing the distance between their mouths himself for another kiss.

“I mean it though. It’s something else…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy early Valentine's Day


	13. Queen of Hearts

“I’ve been meaning to apologize.” Shinichi tilted his head back, dragging his eyes away from the page to glance up at the magician. The fingers previously gliding through the detective’s hair dipped down and around Shinichi’s body. One hand pulled him higher up the thief’s lap and into a sitting position while the other gently held the detective’s right wrist.

“For… oh…” His voice died as he watched the thief carefully caress the back of his palm. The cut had long healed to a needle thin line of scar tissue that was slowly fading by each passing day.

“I’m so sorry." Shinichi could feel Kid shift, resting his forehead between the detective's shoulder blades. "I never meant to hurt anyone... especially you Shinichi.” The thief brought his other arm around Shinichi's waist, holding him tight.

“It’s okay. Really. You weren’t exactly in your right mind.” No matter how many times Shinichi tried alleviating the magician's guilt, Kid remained unsure. It reminded him that while Kid may be missing a lot of information about himself, the morals he kept alive while in uniform didn't change.

A stomach's growl broke through the delicate silence, encouraging the two to get up and make something for dinner. Kid's 'kitchen' was certainly an interesting experience to maneuver through. He had the proper ingredients to make a simple cooked egg over rice meal with coffee and hot chocolate. However, the problem was the actual cooking part. The stove available was an old rusty hunk of metal that looked like it could fall apart at any moment so Kid had to carefully hold the pans just above the burners. Shinichi was on the duty of preventing the eggs from getting burnt and the rice from sticking to the pot. Despite the stressfulness of neither boy knowing how to cook well they couldn't stop laughing about it. That mirth drowned when the two looked down at their bowls full of waterlogged rice and black eggs.

While forcing down a bite Shinichi spoke up. "Is there a name you want me to call you when it's just you and me? Other then you know... 'Kid'?" He couldn't help laughing to himself at the face Kid made as he finished off his bowl.

"I can't really think of anything more personal. If I knew my real name I'd suggest that..." an emotion slipped past the magician's poker face quicker than Shinichi could have registered what it was before a smile returned. "But I don't, so 'Kid's fine for now."

He didn’t have a problem calling the magician ‘Kid’. There was always the possibility of wrong place wrong time but they were careful enough not to make that mistake. It just felt less personal somehow. As if the name itself was a barrier between them.

It took a lot longer to clean up the mess from dinner then it should have. Grease covered the utensils from the poor cooking job. Forgetting non stick cooking spray also didn’t help. All the stains required an immense amount of effort to scrub off. While they worked, Kid prompted Shinichi to talk about one of his past murder cases. Requesting for the most bizarre one off the top of the detective’s head.

Long before the end of the tale where he revealed who the culprit was, including how they did it, Kid was captivated. The thief purposed his own theories, asked about certain pieces of evidence as well as specifics on the crime scene itself. It was nice. To have an audience who was actually interested in the weird cases Shinichi encountered. And to be fair, Kid’s final guess was pretty close. He deduced correctly up until the process of the crime. Even so, he was only a little off. When Shinichi suggested he become a detective the thief merely laughed. “Not my cup of tea. Too many restrictions.”

The sun had long since set by the end of the story. Darkness engulfed the barren street, prompting Kid to suggest Shinichi spend the night. It would be too lengthy of a walk back to the detective’s house to do in the dark. In the end it didn’t take much convincing for Shinichi to agree.

 

In the middle of the night, Shinichi woke up absolutely freezing. The one blanket Kid had might as well have been the thickness of tissue paper. The only true source of warmth was from the thief sleeping right beside him. It was almost irritating how warm Kid somehow managed to be despite the circumstances. Nevertheless, Shinichi reached out and grabbed a fistful of the magician’s shirt before curling up as close as possible. Relief flooded through him as a pair of warm arms circled around his shoulders; instead of any subconscious defensive behavior he expected to receive back.

 

“Honestly, I don’t remember it being that cold at night.” Kid said as he pieced together the day’s disguise featuring the same main aspects of yesterday’s with a slight clothing change. “I normally sleep without the blanket too.”

Shinichi frowned. If anything the weather was getting warmer as the season inched closer to summer. Not a single time came to mind where he didn’t remember waking up in the middle of the night for something. Whether it was to go to the bathroom, fetch another blanket, or kick them off. An interrupted sleep cycle was always jarring. Which would mean one of three options. Kid could be a heavy sleeper, a concept that felt extremely unlikely. The thief really didn’t notice the shiver inducing low temperatures. Or maybe the memories from his past weren’t the only things effected by his death.

The detective shook his head, gathering his coat and pulling it up onto his shoulders. Not everything had to have some deep meaning needing to be solved. “Do you mind if we stop by my house? I’m not sure about walking into the station with the exact same clothes on as yesterday…”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Kid waved his hand over the top of the table, revealing a fresh set of clothing.

A few choice questions were on the tip of his tongue before he decided it was pointless. “I don’t want to know.” Shinichi commented as he swiped the clothes to get changed.

He emerged from the other room, old set in arms, a few minutes later. “Do you have a bag I could borrow for the day?”

“I have a better idea,” Kid said smiling as he took the clothes from the detective. “How about I just return them to your house? I’m going in that direction after dropping you off at the station later anyway.”

“You don’t have to- wait why are you heading there?”

Kid carefully stuffed the folded clothes into his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. “I start my next job at a family restaurant close by.”

 

The walk to the station, while long, was nice. The weather was a bit chillier than the previous day but Shinichi barely noticed as Kid walked so close beside him. Their casual chat came to an abrupt stop at the last corner before the department, bidding each other a rather awkward farewell for the day before splitting up to their respective destinations. Shinichi’s gaze followed the magician as he crossed the street and began disappearing into the crowd. Yet he still half expected Kid to appear behind him and pull him into a kiss. The detective blushed at the thought of the previous evening, unconsciously bringing a hand to his mouth. With the flirty personality Kid showed the public it was hard not to imagine the thief trying to steal another kiss. Then again, he had pride in his gentleman title as well.

Shinichi walked into the station deep in thought. He barely registered the receptionist greeting him as he walked by. Traveling to Division One’s office was a blur as he considered his interactions with Kid. It certainly wasn’t a case of one sided affection. He was sure he made it as clear as he could that the feeling was mutual. Perhaps Kid was just being considerate. Given how obvious it was that the reaper had never experienced that kind of relationship before… Were they in a relationship? Did a kiss make things official or was there something else? He should probably bring it up next time they crossed paths. Which, judging by how often they have been meeting up, he would likely get the chance very soon.

By the time Shinichi settled his mind he was standing in front of Inspector Megure’s desk, several recently solved case files extended towards the man. The teen glanced around the room as if he just woken up from sleep walking and was assessing where he ended up. Everyone was staring at him. Megure was eyeing him with a mildly concerned expression. Had he really been so caught up in thinking about a certain infamous criminal to not notice where he was?

Inspector Megure cautiously took the files, glancing over the explanations while continuing to keep an eye on the young detective. From his peripheral vision Sergeant Takagi waved his hand in an attention grabbing manner. “… What?”

“Nothing just… we’ve been trying to talk to you for over an hour. It was as if you were in some sort of trance, Kudo.” Shinichi raised his eyebrow. Surely not. Yet the looks he was receiving from others in the room told him otherwise.

A stack of papers slapped against the desk’s surface. Megure sat back in his chair, holding his chin in thought. “Listen Kudo,” the teen tried very hard to resist voicing his groan. Every time the Inspector used that specific tone, he was about to break the news of some new plan to prevent Shinichi from working on cases as often as he wanted. “We’ve all been thinking you need to take a day off and go out and have some fun. You’re young, you should be hanging out with kids your age a little more… ”

“I’m around other people my age. I haven’t gone straight home after work in a few weeks. I even left early yesterday!”

Sato placed a gentle hand on Shinichi’s shoulder. “Kudo, we’re just concerned about you. Someone your age shouldn’t be surrounding themselves with death so much. You’ve practically been a zombie since you arrived this morning.”

Seemingly ignoring all of the teen’s points Megure continued with what felt like punishment. “You’ll have plenty of time to clean out our cold cases later.” Shinichi opened his mouth to protest but his voice was drowned out by Inspector Megure’s next words. “There are a couple of people waiting for you in the lobby. Go join them for the day.”

 

No amount of well thought out arguments were able to persuade anyone in Division One to forgo their decision. Shinichi ended up being escorted to the lobby, just to make sure he met up with the other teenagers waiting on him. “Have fun, Kudo. Try not to think about cases for once and have fun with a group. I sure wish I was given a day off out of the blue to spend time with someone.. See you tomorrow!” Takagi called out as he disappeared down the hall.

It wasn’t hard to pick out who the task force called. Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki were both standing by the window chatting idly. As soon as Shinichi passed the reception desk Ran’s attention diverted from her conversation with Sonoko to the clearly reluctant detective. Her smile widened and she jogged over towards him. “Shinichi! How are you?”

The detective slid his hands into his pants pockets and shrugged, frankly unsure of what to say. “Take a load off Mister. We’re here to drag you out on an extravagant journey of wonders!” Sonoko gestured with her arms as she spoke though the mischievous grin on her face lessened the impact of her word choices.

“What she’s trying to say is that we’re going bowling.”

 

The bowling alley the three went to was a kind of Ma & Pa’s recreation center. The place was owned by an elderly couple who were reopening the alley that evening after a family emergency forced them to close the doors for half a month. All the two girls knew prior to picking up Shinichi was that it had opened again, however they had no idea what had happened in the first place.

To their delight and the detective’s relief, the emergency was actually a happy one. For it was the birth of the first grandchild in the family. Both the store owner and his wife were in high spirits. Anyone who asked was pleasantly bombarded with baby photos of an adorable girl and her parents.

“Please, please! Come in!” The owner’s wife called happily, beckoning with a friendly wave towards all the people lined up. The crowd consisted mainly of teenagers with a few kids mixed in. “You youngsters can all bowl free today! Please enjoy!”

Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko managed to grab the seventh alley just as the previous group was heading out. After each entered their nickname in the electronic scoring computer, the two girls took a seat on the alley’s blue benches. “Looks like you’re up first, Shinichi. Get a strike!” Ran called out with a thumbs up.

Ten gutter balls later, Shinichi was setting up for the second throw in his turn when Sonoko couldn’t seem to hold back her laughter. “I can’t believe you can’t even hit a single pin!” It was easy for her to say. One look at the scoreboard showed a near perfect line of strikes in Sonoko’s score. Even Ran at least bowled spares.

The detective let out a sigh and tried to focus on the rows of pins down the lane **.** He lifted the ball in front of him, swung it back while dunking down to increase the amount of force to be exerted on the ball. He brought it forward and, as with the previous times, his hand involuntarily flinched, sending his precisely calculated ball right back into the gutter. Shinichi’s shoulders slumped with a bored sigh. He stepped around Sonoko, massaging the back of his hand, as she all but bounced out of her seat. The cut had healed on the outside but there had to be some sort of damaged nerve as well.

"How does it feel, Deduction Nerd, to get schooled.... at-" Sonoko reached for her next ball, her voice dying out in favor of a strange out of place squishing sound. The world appeared to have halted as Sonoko, Ran, Shinichi, and anyone close enough to the sound, slowly turned their gaze to the source. The blood drained from Sonoko's face as her eyes met the gruesome display on the ball rack. A banged up, decapitated head had come out of the ball return. Its mouth was wide open in a scream, eyes now oozing out of the sockets Sonoko had mistaken for the finger holes.

When she shrieked, the entire alley went silent. Everyone's gaze darted to the group, curious about the commotion. Ran caught Sonoko as she jumped backwards, her body visibly trembling and her mouth unable to form words. "Ra-" Shinichi stopped mid sentence. One look at the two girls was enough of a reminder. Not everyone came across crime scenes and dead bodies as often as he did.  "Ran, take Sonoko and... help her clean up." He was probably going to get a lecture about letting her wash possible evidence away but he couldn't help not caring in this instance. It was doubtful there would be essential evidence within the eyes as well.

"Does anyone have a blanket?" Shinichi asked openly as he took out his phone to call the police. It was clear from the sudden rush of bodies pushing and shoving against each other that the initial shock of the scene had worn out. Groups were desperately trying to exit the building, hoping to get away from the ghastly sight. Shinichi knew within just a few minutes the bowling alley would be empty aside from a small number of stragglers.

Inspector Megure picked up on the other end after only two rings. The detective rattled off the location and any other piece of necessary information before stashing his cell, the miniature death charm dangling out of his pant's pocket. It wasn't hard deciding whether to stay with the head or to keep any potential witnesses near the area. It was much more important keeping what little solid evidence they had over a teenager who might have seen something.

 

From the bone structure, the head belonged to a woman. The victim's hair was long, black and extremely tangled. Rin, after finishing with what little crime scene photographs that were available to be taken, slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and lifted the head off the ball rack **.** One section of hair had been caught in the ball return. She gave it a good tug and ripped the section off from the scalp, leaving another area torn with splotches of dried blood. "Either this one has been stewing for awhile or they weren't the most well off," Rin said finally after an unusually long silence.

"What makes you say that?" One of the more rookie officers asked during a pause of dusting for prints.

"Nothing much. Just the way that the hair is really greasy. So either they weren't able to wash it all that often or this head has been sitting in that warm storage area for a while now."

"I'm not sure about that," Shinichi piped up, stepping into the immediate scene's zone. "I don't know how important their societal status is for this case, but if the reason was a faster rate of decomposition then you would see more immediate evidence along the skin and eyes... or what's left of them."

Following the detective's logic Rin flipped the head around in her arms to stare at the face. "Normal decay... looks like they had a beautiful set of brown eyes before Miss Suzuki got to them."

Detective Sato leveled her with a look of disappointment, Inspector Megure sighed, and only Sergeant Takagi smiled. "Don't you think that's a tad bit insensitive? The girl could be traumatiz-"

"There's something about these eyes," Rin commented under her breath. She held the head in the crook of her arm as she pulled back each of the eyelids.

"Alright, enough joking around. What can you tell us?" Megure said, raising his voice to be heard over the murmuring.

"Victim was between the ages of 15 and 20, white, female and.... they're likely the fourth victim of the Executioner serial killer case." Everyone stopped at the suggestion. One opened their mouth to question it before they were cut off by the M.E. continuing. "I'll have to officially extract it back at the station, but I can see the tip of what looks like one of those SD Cards poking out of the eye’s pupil."

Megure nodded in acknowledgement. He turned to address a section of his task force who had just returned from the back alleyways **.** "Any luck?'

"No, sir. Not even a finger." One replied with a salute.

"We did locate the resting place and its trail down the ball return, though."

“Inspector,” Detective Chiba emerged from the crowd of officers. “I interviewed the owners. No one has entered the maintenance area today. They never unlocked it as it had been thoroughly cleaned before the temporary shut down, they didn’t see a need to for the reopening.”

"Great work. Now, I want half working on uncovering any other evidence we can find back there while the others finish up in here. Reitou, if you're done you're free to take the victim back to the lab for an final autopsy. Move out!" While the officers were running around Megure spotted Shinichi and walked over to him. It was both fascinating and concerning to observe the young detective searching for possible clues or merely working things over in his mind. There was a certain expression he wore that, even to those close to him, was frightening and intense.

The Inspector's presence went unnoticed for a time. When Shinichi finally realized the man's close proximity it made him jump in surprise. Not knowing how long he had been there, Shinichi decided to be the one to speak. "Don't you think it's a bit weird? How close together the two bodies are, I mean. Assuming this one is actually part of the Executioner's chain." While it had become the case's official name it was still odd calling it so. It felt like obeying the murderer's wishes by following the name they gave themselves.

"Kudo. It's been nearly three weeks. It's about the norm. What's the issue here exactly?"

"It's timed almost perfectly. I'm sure Reitou's autopsy will help pin it down but, the couple who owns this bowling alley have had it under lock and key the whole time. You've already had the place scoured for any new evidence and we haven't gotten a call about finding a sign of forced entry. Which leaves us with three possibilities." Shinichi raised his hand to illustrate the points. "One: they got their hands on a key to deposit the head while the building was completely empty. Two: the body disposer somehow knew this place was going to be closed for a time and dumped it beforehand which could mean they're connected with the owners. Or three: the couple helped the murderer with their dumping."

"Granted, there's still the option of they got lucky or wanted the head to be found sooner but I don't think that's the case. The memory cards, the messages within them, the precision of each kill? Our culprit wouldn't rely on something as feeble as luck. They seem to have everything planned out so damn well. They wouldn't leave anything to chance." It was infuriating. Whoever the killer was, she managed to always stay at least several steps ahead of the police. Just where she likely wanted to be.

“Wait a minute, Kudo. What do you mean ‘body disposer’?”

“I don’t mean to sound sexist, but men are stronger than women. It’s just how our bodies are built. It would be a lot more obvious and suspicious if someone was seriously struggling to lift something into the ceiling of an office building, don’t you think?” Megure nodded in agreement, slowly following the teen’s logic. “All the security tapes from those lawyers showed the mechanic with a large tool bag that he easily pulled up the ladder with him. Unless our killer is strong enough to carry an adult male without breaking any sort of sweat or showing any signs of distress, I’d say, along with Emiko Yamura, that our killer has assistants. It’s much too risky to spend all of this time breaking in and placing the body just so. That takes time and has a huge potential for getting caught red handed. With how thorough the Executioner has been so far, I’d be surprised if they weren’t manipulating a few third parties for their needs. Though that method can also lead to more mistakes being made or the need to trust possible outsiders…”

As Shinichi trailed off, getting lost in his thoughts, Megure finished writing down the basics of the detective’s observations. An officer came back to the main area with a disappointing expression and a shake of his head.

With there being little else to do while he waited for any more evidence to show up, Shinichi wandered out into the parking lot. He spotted the open trunk of an ambulance where Sonoko sat, wrapped in a shock blanket, with Ran standing beside her. An officer had just finished swabbing any left over evidence from Sonoko’s nails when Shinichi approached. “How um… how are you feeling?” He asked a bit too awkwardly. It wasn’t the first time the two women had been around him at the scene of a murder but it was still hard judging how he should act about it around them.

Ran glanced at Sonoko, rubbing her back before speaking for her. “We’ll be okay. It’ll just take some time to get over that, I think.”

“Right… of course…” he could see Ran being back to her normal self in a few days. With her father’s line of work, she was at least more used to it than Sonoko. Plus, Sonoko had the displeasure of being the one to stumble on the body in a disgustingly hands on way. That would take much more then a few days to overcome. “If you need anything-“

“Thank you, Shinichi.” Ran said, not needing to hear the rest to know what was being offered. There was a tense silence before she spoke again, only after Sonoko turned towards her. “Actually… I’d like to take her home? If you could let Inspector Megure know…?”

“Consider it done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos over these past few months! It helped me keep going even through my last semester of college and the annoying writer's block I experienced during that time. Don't worry, story has a planned ending and possibly more. I just have to get there.


	14. Calm

Rain pounded against the roof, bouncing off the windowsills and flooding the streets with the runoff. Shinichi closed the curtains and returned to the counter where his warm coffee and phone waited. He wrapped his fingers around the warm mug, tuning back into the conference call coming out of his cell’s speakers. He had already gotten ready for the day; showered, dressed, breakfast attempted and everything when Inspector Megure called. It had only been a light drizzle at the time but the detective was advised to stay home. Not an hour later it had become a downpour with flood warnings issued over the news.

So far, no more evidence had been found at the bowling alley. No news worthy testimonies had been recorded and the latest victim remained as only the head. It had taken several days but Rin and Nezumi were able to identify the body as Ueno Rikko, a teenager who been reported missing almost a week after she disappeared. The date on the missing person’s report was over a month ago. The parents didn’t have anything to say nor did they appear too torn up about the revelation according to Detective Sato.

“From the rate of decay along with the wound itself, the victim was beheaded several days prior to the bowling alley’s closure. The side of the neck where the wound began has a lot of edges and tears in the muscle fibers and skin versus the rest which was much cleaner. Meaning our killer started slow before finishing the job with a…q- cker.. m…vement.” Soft static interrupted Rin’s last few words. Shinichi ignored the storm’s continued interference with his work call and took another sip of his coffee. It would pick up the signal again soon.

“…not..er… thing t… note would be the continued search for Emiko Yamura.” The name piqued Shinichi’s attention. Emiko had been a person of interest since the second victim had been found. A false fiancé caught on the security tape of a law firm hiding a huge object in the ceiling, otherwise known as Mr. John Doe, the third victim. "It's as if she disappea...ed... the fa- ...of the......net."

Shinichi was pouring himself another helping during the prolonged silence, speaking up only when he heard a voice calling his name through the phone. “Right here, Inspector,” he replied, taking a seat again.

“You cut off again. We were just discussing the latest SD card.”

“It’s just the storm. I’m all ears, go on.”

Nezumi’s voice came through the speakers. “Just as Rin suspected, the card was embedded behind the victim’s eye. It held the same code as the last three so it made decrypting it easier. The majority of the data contained the video evidence of Miss Ueno’s dying moments. It matches Rin’s speculations almost exactly on point…” There was a heavy pause. The only sound was the coffee cup being gently placed onto the table top.

“There was another message hidden in the last few lines.” She seemed to wait a few seconds as if expecting a response but soon continued. “It was _’Go ahead and try to apprehend me’_.” There was a collective murmuring over the speakers, with multiple people talking over each other.

“If that’s not a challenge I don’t know w-”

“What an arrogan-”

Shinichi noted footsteps outside before he heard a soft knocking at the door. He whispered a quick and quiet, “hold on, I think someone’s here” before removing himself from the kitchen. He stuck relatively close to the walls as he approached the entry way just in case. He wasn’t expecting anyone, especially in this weather so the presence of another at the time was weird to say the least. When he glanced through the peep hole he let out a sigh of relief.

The metal doorknob was cold to the touch. A wet wind blew into the entryway as Shinich pulled the door open. "What are you doing... here..." the detective began to ask before getting a good look at the thief. Kid was dressed in dark clothes with a black hat covering the majority of his face in shadows. He was breathing rather quickly with his arms close to his sides, clothes soaked to his skin.

"M-m-morning, Detective." Kid greeted through chattering teeth. "Mind if I come in for a little while? At least until the storm dies down a bit?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes with a soft smile. "Get in here, you're letting out the warm air." He stepped aside and laid out a pair of slippers for the magician as he closed the front door. Shinichi started for the kitchen again when he paused, not hearing footsteps behind him. "What? I said you can come in."

"Did you have a towel? I'd rather not leave a trail of water everywhere I go." Without the wind blowing around Kid's clothes, it was a lot easier to see the subtle shivering as well as the frequent dripping from the hems of the magician's shirt and hat. Kid's skin was red from the cold.

"Oh- of course. Wait there, I'll go find a towel!" Shinichi bolted towards the bathroom without waiting another minute. They were in the same spot as normal since no one else was around to move them. But in the detective's haste, it took nearly twice as long as it should have to find the towel. He attempted to return in a less flustered fashion, two towels of different sizes in hand.

He passed the bigger one over into Kid's waiting hand and held onto the other. "Come into the kitchen when you're not as wet. I'll have some hot chocolate ready for you, if you'd like."

Kid paused drying off his legs to look up. "That would be amazing," he said with a grateful smile.

Shinichi returned to the kitchen just as he heard Inspector Megure calling out over the speaker in a hushed yet urgent whisper. "I'm fine it was just... a friend stopping by." A new glass clanked against the cabinets as Shinichi pulled it from it's dusty resting place. There weren't normally others to join him so he typically ended up washing and reusing the same few mugs.

By the time Kid entered the kitchen Shinichi had said a much too quick goodbye to the department, made the hot chocolate now barely hot and refilled his own beverage for what had to be the third or fourth cup of coffee that morning. He was seated at the table, patience beginning to grow thin for the uninvited guest. Leave it to him to trust a thief alone in his own house. Surely it didn't take that long to dry oneself off a bit.

He wasn't sure if he had expected Kid's hair and person to be completely dry when he finally shown himself. But to see the natural dark brown still clinging to the magician's forehead only dispelled the illusion of Kid’s strange need of perfection. "Thank you so much for this," Kid began as he took a seat across from the detective and wrapped his lightly shivering fingers around the warm cup. He flinched away for a moment as if it was too hot to touch. "Guess I didn't know how cold I was until I got here." Shinichi couldn't help watching Kid's lips as he brought the hot chocolate up and they curved around the edge of the mug. Only when the glass was tipped did he avert his eyes. Kid barely drank a gulp before lowering the beverage and staring at it in confusion. "You use powdered milk?"

All he could do was stare back at the magician. Leave it to the perfectionist to be able to tell the difference immediately. "I- I'm the only one living here. I don't go through regular milk quick enough to warrant a carton. It's just a waste of food and money." Shinichi narrowed his eyes as Kid's smirk. "Why? What's wrong with using the dry stuff?" He asked as the other finished off the hot chocolate in one more go.

The soft laugh that came out sounded like music to the detective's ears. "Nothing, nothing." Kid licked his lips, the chocolate mustache vanishing with the sweep of his tongue. "It's just better when it's the real deal." Despite his words, Kid pushed the mug back towards Shinichi with a silent plea for another glass. The detective took it and began making a second helping. "So what other odd habits do you have?"

"I seriously have no idea what you're on about," Shinichi remarked as he finished inputting the numbers for the microwave.

Kid shifted in his chair. Even though Shinichi wasn't looking at him, he could feel the thief's knowing gaze on him with what was most likely a much too pleased, cocky smile. "Really? We're going to just casually ignore how that doll of me is still on your bed after all this time?"

Shinichi spun around before he could think and knocked over the vase with the rose he received from Kid on that last normal heist. He caught it only a foot from the kitchen floor. His face quickly became beet red as he replaced the vase on the counter. "I haven't gotten around to- what's it to you?"

Kid wore one of his signature smirks as he spoke. "I suppose I just thought the real one would be better."

The room felt like it was on fire. How could that stupid magician just say that so casually? It likely had to do with the thief's known flirtatious personality. But still. The microwave beeped much to Shinichi's relief and he whipped around to take out the hot chocolate. It was enough of a distraction to warrant a change of subject. "W-Why are you he...here?" He stuttered, words getting stuck on places he never would have had trouble with if he wasn't so focused on how hot his face felt.

Shinichi casually kept any eye contact to a minimum as he brought over the refill. "To get out of the rain." The detective rolled his eyes.

"You could have easily gone to a cafe... or a bookstore... or any place for that matter. There are tons of places between that 'house' of yours and where I live," Shinichi said as he took his seat again, cradling his drink between his hands.

"Why can't it be as simple as I wanted good company during the storm?"

"Because it's never that simple with you."

Kid leaned back, reluctant as he spoke. "Okay, so my place doesn't exactly have the best structural anything either. That may have been a slight deciding factor." Shinichi leveled him with a look of uninterested disbelief. "Alright, alright, it flooded an hour ago and considering part of the ceiling crashed down this morning I figured I should spend the day elsewhere. What better place than with my detective?"

Shinichi cleared his throat, hiding his reaction in the movement. "Why are you even there? You're Kaitou Kid. Surely it wouldn't be that hard to maneuver yourself into better living arrangements."

The grin on Kid’s face faded. His mug placed gently on the table and pushed out of the way. There was a distant look in the magician’s eyes Shinichi hadn’t expected. The room was eerily quiet and after a few minutes Shinichi didn’t think Kid was going to answer at all. “… because it doesn’t remind me of anything.”

Kid’s voice was so soft Shinichi almost missed it. “What…?” As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Kid’s last heist came to mind again. His heart ached at the memory of those screams. All of them brought on by the task force’s insistent questioning and that witch’s attempt at corrupting. Shinichi’s own journey into the thief’s soul flashed by his eyes too. The blood stains, the toxic black ink over so many memories and people Kid would have known before. Shinichi had hypothesized past memories being painful coming back. As the mind would have to wade through all that poison coated in death to get to them. Except the witch said those memories weren’t there anymore…

“I don’t usually avoid people or places that make me uncomfortable in any way. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do my job as well of course.” Kid leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. He was silent for a time. Internally debating whether or not he should say what was on his mind. “…I’ve been getting these headaches… well… that’s how they seem to start at least. I’ll be fine one minute and then the next I can’t breathe, my head feels so overloaded I can’t think and my heart feels like it’s going so fast it’ll explode. It’s nearly incapacitating.”

“What do you do?”

“If I’m on the move I normally turn back the way I came and avoid going to that area again. It’s a bit harder if I was in the same spot for a while before it happened… as that would imply the cause was a moving target.” Kid let out a small huff. “Sucks even more when it’s someone I have yet to add to my avoid list. Then I have to wait for them to pass or attempt to create distance from the unknown myself.”

Shinichi glanced down at his empty cup, unsure what to say. It was easy to guess who was already on the list. Hakuba for one. Given how the other detective would talk about his interactions with Kid’s supposed civilian persona all the time. Merely seeing him must flip a switch in Kid’s mind to try and recover memories that no longer exist. That witch had to be on the list just for his own safety. Not to mention her comment about personally knowing the magician herself. As Shinichi thought about it he wondered if Inspector Nakamori and the task force were on the avoidance list too. It made sense and he wouldn’t hold it against Kid for it. But that would certainly put an extra mental strain on the thief during heists. Speaking of. “How come you-”

“Do you mind if I borrow some clothes?” Kid asked as he stood up, holding out the still very damp hem of his shirt.

“Oh! Um, right… sure,” Shinichi took the two mugs and quickly deposited them in the sink before walking past his guest. “Follow me.”

It wasn’t until they were half way up the stairs that Shinichi realized he was leading Kaitou Kid to his bedroom. The same one who kissed him earlier that week. If it wasn’t for that, Shinichi was sure his heart would have been beating at a normal speed.

Without trying to think too hard for once, Shinichi opened the door to his room and went straight for his wardrobe. Kid, who was lagging behind a few steps, made a soft amused sound upon entering. When the magician didn’t say anything Shinichi continued pulling out a set of clothes and tossed them over to Kid. “You’re free to stay the night too.”

“Thanks…” Kid lowered his gaze to the floor. He had a kind of hundred-yard stare before he glanced back up. “Hey, can I use your oven?”

“Wha…? Why?”


	15. A Selbit Sawing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning for gore and violence!**

The first thing Shinichi noticed when he came downstairs in the morning for his typical pot of heaven was the smell. A rich chocolate scent invaded the entirety of the ground floor. He rounded the corner into the kitchen and immediately spotted the culprit. On the table was a plate of freshly made cookies, waiting to cool down. It explained several things. Such as why Kid had gotten up so much earlier than Shinichi when the thief seemed pretty content being the uninvited guest on the bed. Not to mention finally answering what Kaitou Kid wanted with the oven. For the rest of the previous day Kid hadn’t even gone near the thing. Curiosity was beginning to tickle the back of Shinichi’s brain but he hadn’t bothered asking.

He walked over to the table and picked one up. It was surprisingly soft for what he had seen of Kid’s culinary skills. It even smelled just right. As he lifted it to his mouth to take a bite he noticed Kid enter the room. “Good morning Detecti- wait! Don’t eat that!!” The next thing Shinichi knew he was lying on the floor with Kid haphazardly on top of him.

Shinichi let out a pained groan. “What the hell are you-?” When he opened his eyes Kid had taken the cookie from him and extracted himself from the detective as he sat up. “You made them didn’t you? Why can’t I?”

“I made them for Hakuba…”

Shinichi scoffed as he got to his feet and crossed his arms. “So _I’m_ not allowed to have one at all? Hakuba’s suddenly more important?”

Kid’s expression turned devious. “Ooh? I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of you being jealous like this. But I was actually hoping you could take them to him.” Shinichi was about to respond with a retort when Kid, with a flick of his wrist, held up an empty box of intense laxatives, that grin of his plastered triumphantly on his face.

Meanwhile, Shinichi’s expression turned to horror. “Oh my go- No! I will _not_ be an accomplice in this!”

“But Shinichi~” Kid took the detective’s hand in his before Shinichi could back away and out of reach, gently placing a kiss on the back. “You’d be the cutest accomplice ever!”

He didn’t have the heart to yank his hand from the thief’s grasp. He was trapped. Leveling the magician with a skeptical look he asked, “What, you have some overarching trick to this other than the prank cookies?”

“Make that bastard magically disappear from my next heist.”

 

* * *

 

It was hard to pinpoint the source of Shinichi’s frustration. It may have been the fact that neither Hakuba nor Inspector Nakamori called him about the heist that night. Or how Kid failed to mention anything about it at all. Even when the thief left this morning, cookies in hand. He didn’t expect Kid to tell him when his heists were but he thought he’d at least remember seeing it in the news. Though in the end, the anger was most likely because Inspector Megure called on him to go all the way out to Shiyuba to help the nearby police station with a particularly tricky case in the early evening.

By the time he arrived at the crime scene, a classroom in a local language school, the witnesses were antsy and all of them were eager to go home. The sun had long set when Shinichi finished his deductions, revealing the top student as the teacher’s murderer.

The detective politely glanced at his watch as he listened to the reports. There was still a solid two hours before the heist started. If he arrived at the station and took the Hanzomon Line it would only take a little over twenty minutes. Leaving him plenty of time to inspect the location and set up any pitfalls of his own. What was standing in his way was this station’s protocol. Megure would at least let him give report first and leave early. As it went, he would be the last one. Not to mention how anything he’d say would have already been spoken of. As much as he wanted to just make an excuse and leave, not only could that look bad on him but for Megure as well since Shinichi was essentially there on the Inspector’s behalf. Standing around and just silently waiting was agonizing.

Another thirty minutes were lost before Shinichi was finally let loose. Even running towards the east entrance of Shibuya Station took too long. He rushed through the ticket gate, swiping his card as he passed, and stepped onto the train just as the crowd of people getting off dispersed. Having run four blocks Shinichi took the first open seat he saw. Just to be sure he’d arrive at least on time he checked his watch again. It certainly wasn’t ideal. A meager hour and fifteen minutes to take the train, run to the location, get updated, inspect the area…

He had just begun to calm his breathing when all the lights in the station blacked out. Several passengers screamed in surprise. It took a few seconds before most retrieved their phones and turned on its flashlight function with Shinichi not far behind. Once the car was lit up enough to see, everyone began murmuring their speculations. While many were convinced the someone just flipped the main light switch for a short time Shinichi wasn’t so sure. The power for the entire station had to be out as he couldn’t even feel the gentle hum of the train. Vending machines, advertisement screens, text announcements… none of it was on. Luckily the train’s doors hadn’t closed yet, no one would be stuck waiting for them to be unlocked.

Though the station’s back up generations should be coming on any minute now, the occurrence didn’t settle well. Something bad had to have happened for the fourth busiest commuter station to lose power like this. Thus Shinichi found himself leaving the train, passing back through the now dead ticket gates and towards the maintenance area for the whole station.

Along the way, just to see if it was only the station or if the blackout spanned past the block Shinichi took a route that looked out over Shibuya’s Crossing. The buildings on the corners as well as further down the streets were all dark. However the middle of the intersection was lit up, spotlights pointing at something suspended in the air above. The detective stepped closer to the full body window, squinting to get a better look. It appeared to be a figure with their arms and legs forcibly held out to the side.

The scene already looked bad but Shinichi had a gut feeling it was about to get much worse. When the figure lifted their haphazardly shaven blond head, a mixture of emotions flooded through him when realization dawned on him. Shinichi pushed off from the window and bolted down the dead escalators in the dark. As he glanced at his phone several things were brought to his attention. First, he didn’t actually get the number for the local Shibuya police he was just with which left only Megure to call. Second, as he tapped the Inspector’s speed dial, Shinichi cursed when a five percent battery warning popped up. He could only hope Megure either answered on the first and likely only try or listened to his voicemail within the next fifteen minutes.

Contrary to his current luck, Megure answered on the second ring. “Ah, Kudo. How did the case in Shibuya go?”

The phone beeped two percent remaining. There was no time for small talk or minced words. All that mattered were the essential details. “Found Emiko Yamura, possibly the next victim. Shibuya Crossing. Power outage. Hurry! I don’t think she’ll be alive for-” the light from the flashlight disappeared and Shinichi looked at his phone to find it completely dead. “Great,” he muttered sarcastically as he left through the Hachiko exit.

It was eerily silent outside. There was no one standing by the station entrance or the Hachiko statue. They were all gathered along the sidewalks and spreading into the streets, staring at the woman hanging in the air above them. People had opened the doors to their cars to get a look at what was garnering the mass’ attention. No one moved.

Without taking his eyes of Emiko, Shinichi pushed his way through the layers of the outer crowd. Upon closer inspection Shinichi thought he was going to be sick. She was completely bare except for what looked like a low hanging beaded necklace. The woman’s forearms, lower legs, ears, and breasts were all missing. Dark scorch marks, possibly from cauterizing the wounds, lingered in those areas. The word “ignominious” was carved deeply into the skin of her lower torso. He could see the shaking in the cables holding her limbs out. Her tear marks creating dark lines as they passed through what had to be black make up around her eyes.

What caught his attention next was the strange metallic plane held steadily in place half a meter below her groin. Shinichi had to circle around to see it from the side as a long, almost show style saw. Wires glistened from the handle and end, each leading to another corner building of the intersection.

Shinichi’s heart dropped as the scene before him came together.. and started moving once more.

Emiko’s shoulders began shaking, tears coming full force. Her eyes seemed locked in the distance but when Shinichi followed her gaze he saw nothing. She started begging for mercy in a frightened, scratchy voice; speaking as if all the words she was crying had already been said with no after effects.

The saw began to advance upward.

The previously stunned crowd slowly started moving as well, glancing at each other with shocked looks.

Pleads of mercy turned to frantic cries laced with apologies until they descended into petrified screams as the saw met flesh. Blood poured out of the wound, dripping down heavily onto the street below as the instrument continued cutting. Emiko’s spine-chilling screeches were the final tipping point to dislodge the gathered crowd from their stupor. Shinichi, however, stood frozen and dazed as all but one within the busiest intersection in the world tried to flee. His eyes darted to each of the buildings that had either a cable or wire connected to it. Blood continued to pool on the cement, slowly spreading out as its volume increased.

Shoes splashed in the red, a new mixture of shrieks filling the air as people ran and Shinichi couldn’t do anything. If he moved, if he tried to get to the buildings that held her up, it was entirely possible he could get trampled in the fleeing stampede. He had nothing on him to even try to end her suffering as the saw was clearly not going to stop until Emiko Yamura’s heart stopped beating or she was completely cut in half.

 

* * *

  

Shinichi hadn’t realized he’d been lightly shaking until he felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. “Kudo.” Inspector Megure’s voice was soft as he spoke the detective’s name. “Are you alright?” Shinichi blinked and took in the change before him. Emiko had been retrieved from above, now lying in an open body bag away from the drying red pool. Her body had been lacerated all the way to her sternum. A quick glance at the saw told him it only went that far because the blade’s teeth had eroded to an almost smooth line from going through so much bone **.**

“Yeah…” he responded, though his voice sounded a bit too quiet and unsure.

The steady hand left his shoulder. “If you want to sit this one out tonight… no one would blame you. From the looks of things and what you mentioned over the phone…” Megure paused, his eyes sweeping over the young detective’s expression. “Just because you were here in her final moments... You can’t blame yourself for this. There was nothing you could have done, Kudo.” The Inspector lingered a moment longer before joining up with one of the onsite investigators who had waved him over. Shinichi considered Megure’s words but wasn’t sure if he could completely believe them. Mercy killing was still killing but had he thought of it at the time, maybe it would have been better to have found her life thread and cut it to end her suffering. It would have been the only thing he was able to do.

As Shinichi pried his feet from their locked position and headed over to where the victim laid he could see the murder happening in front of him. There had been so much blood. It gushed downward and sprayed out as blood vessels and arteries were cut through. Her terrified screaming still replayed in his mind despite the quiet scene around him. People had been killed in his vicinity before and even right in front of him. Aside from wanting to have prevented the murders in the first place, he hadn’t been so jarred with a case until this one. Emiko Yamura’s death was unnecessarily cruel. At least with other cases he solved, most were done relatively quickly.

Ignoring Rin’s concerned look, Shinichi bent down to observe the victim and dove head first into the clues laid out in front of him. The burns on her elbows and knees seemed only a few days old. Emiko Yamura had been missing for almost four weeks. Official suspicions against her weren’t nailed down with solid evidence until three weeks prior to her death. Could she have disappeared before becoming a suspect? The footage of the law firm security camera had a much earlier date than when John Doe had been found. If she went missing that long ago, and with the telling accusation carved into her body, Shinichi doubted the serial killer started and ended with severing her forearms and lower legs.

But why go to the lengths? Was it because she had let herself get caught on camera? Which, if one considered Yamura the accomplice in previous murders, how did the killer set up such an elaborate scene so quickly unless there had always been more parties? How many accomplices were there? A few or a dozen? There were all so careful… except for one who had just been made a spectacle and an example of for the rest.

Once again there was no notable evidence anywhere else apart from the body itself. The points where the cables and wires connected to their respective buildings gave no clear leads. As Shinichi stood on top of one particular building he realized he was standing in about the place Yamura had been gazing at… meaning their killer or someone related to them, was at the scene. Shinichi took a anxious step over towards the wire, likely the one that controlled the movement of the saw, and bumped his foot against something in the darkness.

Instinctively Shinichi pulled out his phone for the flashlight only to remember it was dead. “Hey,” he called to the other investigator on the roof with him. “Can you shine some light here?”

While the officer flinched back at the sight, Shinichi calmly knelt down beside the severed lower leg. Careful not to touch it, even with gloves on, Shinichi tried to inspect the limb. It had the same cauterized scars by the knee and ankle, backing up his hypothesis on each extremity being cleaved and burnt to stop the bleeding one part at a time. There was also another cut, though this one was sewn shut, between the tibia and fibula bone. The slit had the same surgical expertise displayed in previous victims of the self appointed The Executioner case.

 

* * *

 

The body and severed lower leg of Emiko Yamura were finally taken away and Inspector Megure dismissed the rest of the work force for the night. Shinichi had no idea how late it was but he could feel the exhaustion in his eyes. He briefly wondered if he should have taken Megure’s suggestion to head home for the night after all. Concentrating after witnessing… _that_ … was proving more difficult than he thought. A quick glance at his watch confirmed what he already guessed. At two o’clock in the morning he had long missed the last train along with Kaitou Kid’s heist.

Despite only wanting to be left alone Shinichi jogged over to Megure’s car just as the man turned on the engine. He knocked lightly on the window, “would you mind giving me a lift home?”

“Not at all, hop in.”

The drive home was quiet. Megure had only once reached for the radio dial before pausing and retracting his fingers from pushing the power button. The man acted like he wanted to say something but Shinichi was completely fine with the silence.

Shinichi bid the man a farewell with a soft thank you, closed the gates to his house, and finally disappeared inside. He collapsed back against the door, the events of the night already replaying before him. After a few deep breaths the detective quietly and lazily kicked off his shoes in the entryway, barely noticing the extra white pair tucked away in the corner. As much as he wanted to have a cup of coffee he didn’t have it in him to bother brewing a pot.

On his way to his room Shinichi spotted a clad in white figure curled up on his reading chair in the library. “Kid?” Shinichi stepped over the threshold into the room choosing to linger by the doorway. The magician had his feet up on the chair, his arms wrapped around his legs that were tucked against his chest and head resting on his knees. The thief had to have come straight here after the heist. How long had he waited?

“If I knew you’d be dropping by after your heist I would have left the door unlocked and saved you the trouble of picking it.” Shinichi said in a light tone with a smile. When Kid didn’t move or respond the detective awkwardly continued. “I’m uh… really sorry I missed your heist… there was another body on display probably for that serial killer case across the prefecture. It was pretty gruesome…” he couldn’t help looking down at his own jacket, dried blood splatter littering the fabric. He didn’t even want to look in a mirror to see how much was still on his face.

“Anyway, how did your heist go? Did Hakuba show up after all? I’ve been at the crime scene all night so I missed the recap on the news…” Shinichi trailed off, watching the way Kid flinched at the continued mention of his own heist. Normally the thief was glad to retell his victories. “Hey… are you okay?”

Kid shrunk in on himself, pulling his legs closer as tension built up in his shoulders. The thief’s voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke. “I’m scared.”

“What happened?” Shinichi asked cautiously, finally stepping into the space. Did Kid somehow remember something? That should be impossible though as the memories were no longer present. No amount of elbow grease could get rid of all of that poison coating those memories. Shinichi had heard about shooters being present at heists but Kid never seemed too worried about it as long as he was the only target. Did something happen at the heist? Maybe Hakuba showed up after all and Kid dealt with one of those headaches of his. Except Shinichi had tracked the fellow detective down and made sure to casually watching him try several of the magician’s creations. For the thief to be scared…

Kid lifted his head after a long pause, his eyes swollen and teary. “I… I think I killed someone.”


	16. Side Effects of Raising the Dead

Shinichi sat at the edge of the couch in the living room, attention locked on the morning news report playing on the television. They had been waiting for the recap of the previous night’s events as it was typically done after heists and especially if something bizarre happened. It wasn’t hard to find a station reviewing the matter. ‘Kaitou Kid’ always brought in extra views.

It was another five minutes before the end of the program and until they finally spoke about the heist. Shinichi glanced over at Kid who was sitting on the absolute opposite end of the couch. He hadn’t spoken much after the initial confession and Shinichi wasn’t sure what to do. There weren’t any specks of blood on the pristine white uniform. Inspector Megure hadn’t called him again to have him consult on any new cases or newly discovered bodies. If the thief said ‘think’ did that mean he wasn’t even sure the person was dead? Could it be that, whatever happened, Kid left someone to die? It certainly wasn’t like the thief to do so.

_“And now, what we’re sure everyone’s been waiting for. Kaitou Kid’s heist last night!”_ Shinichi felt the couch shift. In the corner of his eye he saw Kid hug his knees to his chest again.

_“Reports say Kaitou Kid succeeded in stealing Celestial Star but it seems as he was making his escape an unknown group made an appearance on the roof with him. Let’s take a look.”_ The news anchor tapped their notes on the desk and nodded towards the camera.

As the screen switched to a ground view Shinichi felt a pair of eyes watching him intently. The footage showed a scene outside of the multi story museum just as Kid appeared on the roof to display his success to his fans. Everyone in the streets cheered as the thief gave a bow. Without warning the camera view jerked upwards as a loud bang silenced the crowd. The camera was whipping around the group of fans, looking for the source of the gunshot when several more were fired off. People screamed and pointed over at the museum roof.

Shinichi drew in a breath as he watched Kid fall face first from the building in a free fall, clearly making no move to open his hang glider. Three unidentified figures dressed in black stepped towards the edge to watch as the thief plummeted. The gathered crowd screamed as Kid quickly approached them, still motionless, until with a quick unexpected movement the hang glider dispensed. Dozens shrieked and stepped away as the sudden rush of air kicked up dust and the magician barely soared above their heads. Several more gunshots broke through the tension, ripping through Kid’s glider and body. Shinichi saw him pick up just enough of an updraft to dive roll onto the low roof of the building across the street.

The camera lingered upon the roof for a few seconds longer before it whipped across the stunned fans, taking in their reactions, and aiming back at the heist location. It was in the process of zooming in towards where Kid had fallen when it focused on something glistening in the air. The reflecting light was revealed to be several spider web thin wires. The reporter followed the lines through the sky from the initial heist to across the street where the magician stood at the edge of the roof.

The view zoomed in as a gust of wind blew past the thief and ruffled his cape. Someone yelled, “oh my- are those bullet holes?!” From what Shinichi could see it was at least five distinctive holes in Kid’s cape that should have gone through his chest but there wasn’t any blood to be seen. Nervous murmurs about the current happenings not being part of the intended heist rippled through the crowd.

Kaitou Kid took one step up onto the building’s edge. The picture of Kid grinned and Shinichi couldn’t help but think it was more malicious than the usual playful smirk. Shinichi barely caught the subtle twitch of Kid’s fingers in the grainy picture before the magician raised his arms up, hands flexing similarly to a manipulating puppeteer.

In the air, the wires twitched and became taut. Kid raised his arms higher before slicing them down diagonally across his body. The scene filled with screams as the crowd pointed, stunned and shocked, towards the top of the building where the three figures, all dressed in black had been pulled to the edge and into a free fall towards the street below. Kid lowered himself on his own buildings’ edge and jumped, engaging his hang glider and catching the men meters from the crowd’s heads before he disappeared in the distance.

The footage cut off shortly after, returning to the anchor for comment. _“Could Kaitou Kid be conspiring with this group? We’ll discuss this new development with an expert after the break. Stay tu-”_ The television feed blacked out with a click and Shinichi no longer felt eyes on him.

So many things were going through his mind. What had the Inspector’s and the task forces’ reactions been? Was Hakuba there to witness it first hand or had he found out the same way Shinichi did after the fact? First thing’s first: deal with what was in front of him. “Were you wearing a bullet proof vest?”

“No.”

To hear Kid’s voice so small again made it hard to continue.  “… where did you take them?”

There was a long enough pause that Shinichi had to direct his gaze to the thief. It appeared as though Kid was actually trying to go through the night in his head in order to remember. He had said _I think_ before. Maybe for some reason the event wasn’t recorded in his mind. Shinichi was just starting to consider the possibility of Kid running on autopilot when the magician finally spoke up. “I strung them up over the Imperial Palace.” Shinichi’s eyes subtly grew wider. They could still be alive… that is, if they weren’t shot down or fell to their deaths first. That material Kid used didn’t seem very sturdy from the earlier demonstration. One good tug of force clearly ripped the threads. From that height with the weight of three people it wouldn’t be surprising if a decent gust of wind took them down.

Shinichi contemplated the situation for a few minutes more before standing up. “Well there isn’t exactly anything we can do right now. Do you want to take a bath first or second?”

“Really… that’s it? Doesn’t seem like you to call it a night before exhausting all possibilities first.”

“Division One is currently catching up on their own sleep due to the case that kept me from your heist tonight.” Shinichi crossed his arms. “We just watched the news. Nothing was reported about the Palace so the situation is either being kept from the media or it hasn’t developed fully into anything yet to be noticed. It’s also only been a few hours. They might not even report that to the press just yet.” He turned his attention to Kid who immediately shifted under his gaze. “Based on your wording and demeanor, you neither fully remember what happened nor are you in the mental state to push against the wall that’s blocking the memory. So I’ll ask again, first or second?”

Kid fiddled nervously with his hands, slowly running his fingers over each other in small movements. He opened his mouth once before seeming to think twice on it. “… you can’t sense if they’re still alive or not yourself?”

Shinichi resisted the urge to sigh. It wouldn’t do either of them good and it would probably make Kid feel self conscious for asking something like that. If he could, if he knew how, he’d have searched all the deaths in the last few hours just to try to ease the magician’s mind. “Thousands of people die every second. It’d be impossible for me to pick out a specific person or two I’ve never met out of that kind of crowd of souls.”

A tense silence came over them. Shinichi stood in the doorway, waiting for the thief to make his decision towards his posed question. After tossing the information around in his head, the thief finally spoke again. “Detective. I’m not the one literally covered in blood. Go.”

“Okay… If you need anything just knock. You can help yourself to anything in the fridge while you wait. I’m sure you’re hungry.” He didn’t think he should leave Kid alone even for such a short time but he wasn’t about to suggest they bathe together. It had been only a few kisses that one time… Shinichi jogged to his room and picked out another pair of clothes for himself. He would just have to be quick. Hopefully the blood would still easily come off.

With his new clothes laid out Shinichi stripped his old ones off and tossed them into the black basket he added to the room. It was reserved for clothes that needed special treatment due to blood or something similar. Shinichi turned on the ceiling fan and stepped into the bathroom. He flipped the switch to fill the bath while he rinsed himself off. Shinichi stilled as the warm water poured down onto his tired body, loosening the tense muscles underneath the skin. He held the shower spray over his head and watched it run down, turning a faint red as it washed down the drain. The detective kept the nozzle in place and turned up the heat until it was almost unbearable. Shinichi closed his eyes and raised his head, letting the water flow over his features. It felt as though the blood splatter was getting washed away along with the emotions of the night. Yet when Shinichi opened his eyes the water wasn’t clear as it should have been. It was a red as vibrant as blood that swirled around his feet in a puddle that only reminded him of the crime scene.

Shinichi barely covered his mouth in time to suppress his scream. Nothing prevented him from stumbling backwards, crashing into the towel rack behind him and falling onto the bathroom floor. The only sound was coming from the forgotten shower head still expelling burning hot water several feet away. Shinichi blinked and the puddle of water was as it should be. He curled in on himself and hid his face against his knees as quiet sobs wracked through him.

 

 By the time Shinichi picked himself up there was a light knock on the door. He quickly pulled on his boxers and pants and grabbed his pajama shirt while still drying off his hair with the towel around his neck. “Kid? Is there anything wrong? Did you need something?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. You’ve been in there for awhile.” The magician shifted his weight. He was still dressed fully in heist gear not that Shinichi expected any different. But he had hoped Kid would at least allow himself to relax a little despite the situation. It wasn’t as though Shinichi was going to arrest the thief after that kind of confession without any concrete evidence. Besides it was well known how news stations twisted stories. “Are you okay? Your eyes are red.”

Shinichi tried to hide the surprise from the unexpected question. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I guess I was soaking in the hot water too long is all.” They stood silent for several heart beats before Shinichi stepped to the side. “Bath is all yours. I’ll leave a change of clothes in the basket outside.”

As they traded places, Kid offered a quiet thank you and gently closed the door. Shinichi froze upon taking the first step into the hall. The floor was warm. As if someone had been sitting in the same spot for a while. He couldn’t help but glance back where Kid had disappeared. Had the magician really sat outside the bathroom the entire time?

After pulling on his shirt, Shinichi went to retrieve an extra set of clothing as promised. Without making much noise, he entered the first part of the bathroom and placed the clothes in plain view. Next he made a quick check through kitchen and at the fridge. Seeing that nothing had been removed told him Kid hadn’t accepted the offer to eat. Great.

Despite the exhaustion he felt himself, Shinichi went to make the simplest sandwiches known to man. Lightly toasted bread halves, mayonnaise, lettuce, already cut tomatoes from earlier in the week, and slices of turkey put together was all the tired teen was able make with his current lackluster energy level. He placed the two sandwiches on the same plate and took it into the living room.

Kid returned from the bath a lot earlier then Shinichi thought he would. With their similar body types the clothes seemed to fit perfectly. Though the magician’s hair was still soaking wet and dripping onto the borrowed shirt. “You’ll get a cold if you don’t dry off,” Shinichi said as he stood up, placing the half eaten sandwich back on the plate, and urged the thief to sit on the couch.

Kneeling down, the detective took the towel from Kid’s hand and tossed it over the unruly brown locks, massaging the towel through the hair. Kid’s eyes looked dark and unfocused. His expression was unreadable yet not because there was a mask on. It was raw emotion that Shinichi rarely saw even for a second and it made him pause. “What I did tonight… I would never have handled that situation as such… I don’t know who I truly am but I know deep down I would never hurt someone.”

Shinichi opened his mouth to say something but no words came. There was nothing he could say anyway. All they had was Kid’s scrambled recollection of the night and a biased news broadcast. They wouldn’t know for sure until either it was reported or Shinichi went into the station himself. “Shinichi…? What’s wrong with me?”

The terrified and devastated tone in the magician’s voice tore through Shinichi’s heart with the pain of a saw slowly ripping through flesh. Kid’s shoulders tensed and he leaned forward into the other’s chest, the towel dropping to the ground as he desperately grabbed Shinichi’s sleeves. It was quiet at first. Just staggered, stuttering breaths. However when Shinichi wrapped his arms around the thief it was as if the gesture was enough to remove the final barrier that held him back.

 

* * *

 

When Shinichi woke up he was lying on the couch with a silently sleeping Kaitou Kid curled up against his side. Shinichi couldn’t help looking away to hide his blush. As if the other could see it while asleep. He glanced around the room and noted the darkening sky outside the windows. With a quick check of his watch Shinichi gazed upon the man using him as a pillow. He briefly considered waking the thief up but with how openly emotional Kid had been before they dozed off it would probably be better to let him sleep. Even when they were together for a few hours Kid had always seemed to have some sort of mask on… no matter how subtle. But that morning there was nothing. Could that level of emotion have been built up from not letting it out over a long period of time or was it just from the night’s occurrence? Which was more exhausting; hiding everything behind his hundreds of masks or finally letting it all out?

As comfortable as the thief was against him, the threat of not leaving for the station within the hour and being too late forced Shinichi to move anyway. He carefully got up so as to not disturb the slumbering magician, painstakingly prying off each finger clenching his shirt and lifting the arm from his body. Once Shinichi was free from the couch Kid curled in on himself and the detective threw a blanket over the thief. It’d do neither any good to have Kid waking up from a chill before Shinichi had returned.

However, shortly after the detective was fully dressed and stepping into his shoes Kid emerged from the living room, blanket wrapped around his shoulders and an unrestrained yawn escaping his mouth. He rubbed sleep from one of his eyes as he spoke, “where are you off to, Shini…chi?” The yawn that broke up his name made a small smile tug at the detective’s lips.

“I’m just heading to the station for a bit. I never wrote or gave any sort of witness report for the…” Shinichi paused in his train of thought. Last night was more than just stumbling on a body. Every possible name for it felt wrong before it reached his tongue. “The encounter last night. Plus I figured I could check up on any reports that may match the men at your heist.” Shinichi picked up the keys and twirled them around his finger before pocketing them. When he looked up at the thief again he was standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway suddenly looking fully awake. “You should probably try lying low. Will you be okay by yourself here?”

Kid shifted his weight, his lips pulling to the side as he considered the suggestion. Shinichi turned and twisted the doorknob, “I’ll be as quick as I can but I should be back within a few hours.” He waited a few beats for any sort of confirmation but was met with only silence. Though a little unsure he began to step through the doorway when a slightly trembling hand around his wrist stopped him. Shinichi glanced back, eyes fixated on Kid.

“Do you mind if I come along?” Shinichi shook his head slowly and Kid was enveloped in a cloud of smoke, the hand around Shinichi’s wrist never letting go. When the puffs of white evaporated the detective was face to face with a similar looking ginger that he had run into on the street a couple months ago. Except this time Kid wore contacts, giving him vibrant green eyes. The wig was a much darker color that bordered closer to auburn that curled just below his chin. The magician wore a light brown, mid thigh length, pleaded skirt over a barely visible, similarly colored pair of shorts. He had a short sleeve shirt made of a light, deep navy material tucked into the skirt at the bottom. The round neckline had an elegant white lace detail, complete with a white silk ribbon tied in the middle that hung down in the space between Kid’s fake breasts. “Okay, let’s go!” Kid called out cheerily in a female’s voice and began pulling Shinichi down towards the street.

Shinichi let himself be pulled along towards the station by the seemingly bubbly girl. However he couldn’t help but wonder if going near the Palace was a good idea for the thief. He hoped that despite Kid’s inclination to take risks and push himself that he knew what he could be walking in to. “Is it Kairen again?”

The girl’s pleased smile didn’t fade but the question paused her cheerful humming. “Momona Toukai.”

 

The train ride was quiet. Kid never making an attempt to start any sort of conversation as his gaze was hazily focused out the window. But Shinichi could feel the growing tension in the way the magician would subtly shift his posture or the most minute adjustments in his expression as they traveled closer to Minato.

The two walked off the train and out of the station hand in hand. It took about a block before Shinichi finally gathered something to say. “You can’t assume the worst without having all the evidence before you.” The hand in his flinched and they slowed to a stop. Momona’s eyes fixated on a spot on the ground beside the detective.

“You say that supportively now but… would you really still act the same if I turned out to be a murderer?”

Shinichi opened his mouth to immediately evaporate the doubt Kid had for the detective’s feelings for him but stopped himself short. As much as he wanted to comfort the magician he wasn’t sure himself. It was an internal conflict within his mind of the Kid he knew from the past and the Kid now who was breaking out of the previous behavioral mold whether the thief meant to or not. The detective had gotten his own teacher arrested for murder before. If what Kid thought was true… how could Shinichi really turn a blind eye to it?

They walked another block in silence before Kid spoke up. “On second thought, I think I’ll hang back and let you go on ahead.” Momona flicked her eyes around the street until they landed on a magic shop right on the corner. She carefully pulled her hand away from Shinichi’s and took a nervous step towards the shop. “We can meet up after you’re done. But don’t be too long okay?”

Momona gave a smile before skipping off towards the store’s entrance. She paused as she stepped through the doorway to glance back, “By the way, you look way cuter without the blood, Detective.” She giggled softly upon seeing Shinichi’s reaction and promptly disappeared into the shop. Leaving the detective slightly agape on the sidewalk.

With the rather sudden parting of ways, Shinichi shook himself out of the stupor and continued on down the street towards the station.

 

Typically when Shinichi visited the station the receptionist would pause and greet him, perhaps ask about his day, before going back to their work. Today they were so frantically answering unending phone calls they hadn’t even noticed Shinichi walking up to the desk. The detective wondered if he should say something or just keep going. He settled on a soft greeting that faded away into the constant ringtones leaving it unheard. Shinichi shrugged and headed for the elevators.

He was expecting a similar vibe for Division One’s main floor but as he stepped off the elevator it was eerily silent. If it wasn’t for the soft tapping of keys and the sound of papers being filed it wouldn’t have been a stretch to think no one was in. The detective proceeded further inside and was met with the sullen faces of a bunch of officers slogging through the evening. Not a single person didn’t have some level of dark circles under their eyes accompanied with unfocused look. There were even two officers passed out on the couch that had been recently moved into the corner.

Inspector Megure glanced up from his desk as the young detective approached. When their eyes met Shinichi instantly felt sorry for the man. He looked like he desperately needed a good 16 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Shinichi quietly cleared his throat, “Good evening, Inspector.” The slow blink he received made him feel a bit guilty for sleeping most of the day when everyone else didn’t seem to get the same luxury. “Is there any news on the… serial killer case?” Division One and the media might have been fine to quickly adapt the murderer’s own appointed nickname but Shinichi was less inclined. It felt too much like playing into their hand and giving them what they want.

Megure shifted in his seat to lean forward onto the desk, resting his cheek against his hand. “Kudo.” The tired tone in his voice almost made Shinichi regret asking. “We appreciate your diligence but it’s barely been 24 hours since…” the Inspector paused, giving a once over at the teenager before him. The one who was covered in the victim’s own blood and had been quite shaken up last time they had seen each other. The boy may have witnessed a lot of murder but no one needed to be reminded of something so gruesome. “-since the latest body showed up. We’re all working as hard as we can but there’s nothing new yet. With how exhausted everyone’s been, what with the early morning call, we can only go so fast before mistakes are made. Some of us only had a few hours at home before being called in as back up.” He added, gesturing to the officers currently napping in the corner. “You can check in with Reitou if you want but The Executioner Case isn’t the only one she’s dealing with. No guarantees she’s been working on that one yet. We’ll call you with any new leads. Alright?”

Shinichi began nodding slowly, gears turned in his head as he took apart the man’s words. An officer came over to the side of the desk and handed Megure a stack of files. “Inspector?” The only response he received was a grunt as the man started flipping through the stack of files. “What was the morning call about?”

“Hm?” There was a pause as he opened the top case file and read one of the passages. “Some men broke into the Imperial Palace this morning. Scared the Prince and Princesses when they were roaming the grounds; said three men dressed in black fell from the sky. Not even the security cameras caught how they got in.”

“What?!” Shinichi yelled a bit louder than he intended which brought several sets of eyes on him. “What happened? Where are they now?”

Inspector Megure raised an eyebrow. “They were arrested this morning,” he pushed a few files away and dug through the papers to pull out one in particular and handed it over. “There’s a copy of the report. There’s nothing much there as the case is already finished with no leads to extend it.” Megure turned back to his work and without glancing up added, “you can ask Reitou about that too.”

 

Shinichi took his leave towards the morgue and skimmed through the report on the way, too impatient to read it too closely on the first go. His feet slowed to a halt outside freezer doors when he found ‘time of death’. It was recorded as only a few hours ago with the autopsy incomplete. The location was listed as within their containment cell. Backing up a few paragraphs, Shinichi found they had somehow survived the fall and nothing apart from the men themselves were recovered. Luckily all they managed to do was stand up but witness accounts said they seemed barely capable of even that. Another note in the file mentioned all three had been fearfully muttering something incoherent about snakes and it was partially chalked up to the group being a little out of their minds or drunk. It wouldn’t be the first time people tried breaking in while drunk.

Beneath the witness accounts was a single lined message. It mentioned a visitor, later discovered to have given a fake name, who stayed no more than 5 minutes. The group, more so the visitor, was reported to have briefly spoken about an infestation within a neighboring home of mice. They had left without another word and the three men in custody didn’t make another sound afterwards, only to be found dead within the hour.

The door was cold as Shinichi pushed it open and walked in, eyes still glued to the report. “Evening, Kudo. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting you. Always the eager one to hang out around the dead, am I right?” Rin Reitou playfully elbowed the teen in the side as she stepped next to him, bringing his attention off the paper and onto the multiple examination tables set up. There were a total of six today with only half covered up. It took only a second to identify which one was Emiko Yamura as she was the smallest lump underneath the sheet. She no longer had the limbs to fill the empty table space. The other two were of different sizes. One appeared to be a child and the furthest one away looked to be the detective’s own age based on the size **.** The three uncovered victims were all fairly built men of about the same height give or take a few centimeters. They matched the descriptions in the report and from Kid’s vague recollection of the night.

“If it means finding clues to catch their killer then sure, I’m eager… but please stop assuming I enjoy it like you do.” Tucking the report into his pocket for later, Shinichi couldn’t help wandering over towards where he knew Emiko rested. He said nothing as blues eyes raked over the misshapen form under the sheet. There was no need to lift it; her image hanging over Shibuya Crossing already solidified in his mind. His eyes glazed over the relatively empty exam tray. The only contents were untouched autopsy tools and the necklace she wore sealed in an evidence bag. “Have you started on her?”

Rin stood on the other side of the examination table. “Not officially, however,” she began to lift the sheet when Shinichi stopped her. They exchanged a glance before Rin retracted her hand. “However, from my initial check on the scene her extremities were definitely removed and cauterized. That lower leg you found has the same type of scars. You can tell from how the skin was burnt along the edges and the amount of scaring on the veins as well as how much blood was within the remaining section of the body. I’d even venture to guess it was done over a fairly long time, perhaps even one piece at a time.”

Shinichi let his gaze linger on Emiko only a moment longer before prying himself away, directing his attention to the necklace the only thing the woman wore during her public execution. Admittedly he wasn’t able to focus too much on it the previous night. It was such a small detail compared to everything else in his mind it went uncharacteristically overlooked. The detective picked up the evidence bag from the table and held it up. The necklace had eight small circular beads occupying the very long string that tied them together. There was nothing off about it; no speckles of blood and no hair fibers caught anywhere. In fact the whole piece was very clean, the beads shining in the light with every small movement.

Out of the eight beads the first five in a row were black and the next two were white with the last one in the line a soft violet. “An odd detail, don’t you think?” Rin said inquisitively. “For the only evidence recovered from the victim, given the setting of their murder, it has to be significant. But no one’s figured it out yet. A few officers had theories while on the scene but it’s too early to flesh them out. Any thoughts?”

Eight… it was too random of a number. By itself it could mean anything. Eight days Emiko Yamura was getting her limbs removed. Eight weeks that she was helping the killer as an accomplice and three weeks before she was labeled a screw up. Or maybe the beads had nothing to do with Yamura at all. Shinichi thought back through all the murders the killer had claimed with their calling card. There was the first one Hoyt Hatsuzaki, who was literally strung up in Shinichi’s front yard. Jyunko Suuki, who was drained of her blood after having her throat slit an tossed in the hotel’s fountain. The third was still a John Doe who was kept in a gibbet and was left to fall from the ceiling of a law firm, death by drowning in Jyunko’s blood. A fourth was the decapitated head of Ueno Rikko, a missing teenager, that was found in the local bowling alley and now Emiko Yamura, Jyunko’s false fiancé, as the fifth victim recently sawn in half in front of hundreds. Shinichi glanced back at the necklace. What if it was five black beads for five deaths? Which would mean the white beads were planned murders that either hadn’t happened or hadn’t been discovered yet. “The black beads may represent the deaths of the killer’s first five victims.”

“What do you mean ‘first’?”

“This case has had five victims, all ‘listed’ with their own black bead. There could be still at least two more possible victims to come, represented with the two white beads.” Which left the only remaining issue as the eighth bead. Unless the violet bead represented the killer themselves. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a killer to go through extreme lengths to keep the police running in circles only to have themselves be their last victim to try to get into the list of unsolved crimes. However with the advances in forensics it was rare for cases to be placed in the unsolved category as the killer’s involvement can still be discovered. Yet, with how careful this murderer has been they may just get their wish.

“Interesting theory, Kudo. I’ll make a note of it. Sorry I don’t have anything new for you.”

“That’s alright. I know there are other cases to attend to,” Shinichi placed the evidence bag back on the tray and turned towards the other reason for visiting the morgue. “What about those three? The report mentioned they were alive when recovered from the Palace. Yet they’ve been dead for several hours?”

The two walked up to the end of the three tables. “I’ve already looked over them and believe me, there wasn’t much to see. All three had various levels and amounts of fractured or broken bones as well as some bruised organs most likely from the fall. However, based on the damage received they had to have been at a greater height then originally thought.” Shinichi nodded, feeling the woman’s gaze on him as if she was expecting him to fill in the obvious open end. When he didn’t, she continued. “I’ve sent blood samples to Nezumi for poisons as I noticed respiratory distress in all three men... but they didn’t have access to anything so it’s questionable to how they might have ingested any.”

Shinichi considered the information. There were a large number of possible poisons it could be. Assuming it was one at all. There wouldn’t be any telling until the toxicity screening came back with the results. He had a feeling whoever the visitor had been was the one who provided whatever means needed for the men to meet their ends. The question of ‘why’ was stuck in his mind. According to the mastermind of the group aiming their scopes at Kaitou Kid the three failed and weren’t allowed a second chance. Hell, they even let themselves get caught by their target. Given that way of thinking it makes sense they might send someone to ‘clean up’ so to speak. However what nagged Shinichi was the timeline. It had barely been ten hours. Had it been the men’s last strike? Was it due to the attention-grabbing way they were brought into police custody, their mugs soon to be on the news if not already? Or maybe the leader, after confirming Kid’s still very much alive status, grew impatient of any and all crew declared incompetent.

“You’re a homicide detective. Since when did you start taking an interest in breaking and entering cases like this one? Other than that gem thief.” Rin asked, interrupting Shinichi’s thoughts.

Shinichi inwardly fumbled for an excuse. “It was the only case file the Inspector gave me today. I thought I’d at least check it out.”

After listening to an unnecessary amount of Rin’s dark humor, Shinichi finally managed to excuse himself and left the morgue. The heat from the hallway slowly wrapped back around him pulling the chill of death away. The detective idly placed his hands into his pockets as he reached the reception office. His silent farewell went unnoticed as he passed the desk and headed outside.

The sun had long hide behind the city skyline, leaving the streets lit by the lampposts. Shinichi began walking the way he came, hidden case report clenched tightly in his pocket. He neared the corner of the street and waited patiently for the light to turn green. He didn’t take too long. Hopefully Kid was doing alright by himself. Normally he wouldn’t worry but he couldn’t get that morning out of his head. In fact, ever since Kid reappeared after being presumed dead the thief has been different.

The light turned green and Shinichi stepped off the sidewalk. The increasing sound of rushed footsteps and a high pitched yell from behind stopped him in his tracks. Shinichi turned around just in time to see a handbag fly through the air and hit him square in the back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the feedback everyone!
> 
> We're surprisingly coming up towards the end of this particular story fairly quickly. There are still several chapters left before the end but due to their intended length and content they're going to take me a little longer than normal to finish.
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you all enjoy the upcoming chapters!


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